Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Research and Education Act of 2021

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 113 To provide for research and education with respect to triple-negative breast cancer, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JANUARY 4, 2021 Ms. JACKSON LEE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To provide for research and education with respect to triple- negative breast cancer, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Triple-Negative Breast 4 Cancer Research and Education Act of 2021’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress finds as follows: 7 (1) Breast cancer accounts for 1 in 4 cancer di- 8 agnoses among women in this country. 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:26 Jan 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H113.IH H113 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 113 IH (2) The survival rate for breast cancer has in- 1 creased to 90 percent for White women and 78 per- 2 cent for African-American women. 3 (3) African-American women are more likely to 4 be diagnosed with larger tumors and more advanced 5 stages of breast cancer despite a lower incidence 6 rate. 7 (4) Early detection for breast cancer increases 8 survival rates for breast cancer, as evidenced by a 5- 9 year relative survival rate of 98 percent for breast 10 cancers that are discovered before the cancer 11 spreads beyond the breast, compared to 23 percent 12 for stage IV breast cancers. 13 (5) Triple-negative breast cancer is a term used 14 to describe breast cancers whose cells do not have 15 estrogen receptors and progesterone receptors, and 16 do not have an excess of the HER2 protein on their 17 sources. 18 (6) It is estimated that between 10 and 20 per- 19 cent of female breast cancer patients are diagnosed 20 with triple-negative breast cancer, and studies indi- 21 cate the prevalence of triple-negative breast cancer is 22 much higher. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:26 Jan 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H113.IH H113 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 113 IH (7) Triple-negative breast cancer most com- 1 monly affects African-American women, followed by 2 Hispanic women. 3 (8) Triple-negative breast cancer is a very ag- 4 gressive form of cancer which affects women under 5 the age of 50 across all racial and socioeconomic 6 backgrounds. 7 (9) African-American women are 3 times more 8 likely to develop triple-negative breast cancer than 9 White women. 10 (10) Triple-negative breast cancer tends to 11 grow and spread more quickly than most other types 12 of breast cancer. 13 (11) Like other forms of breast cancer, triple- 14 negative breast cancer is treated with surgery, radi- 15 ation therapy, or chemotherapy. 16 (12) Early-stage detection of triple-negative 17 breast cancer is the key to survival because the 18 tumor cells lack certain receptors, and neither hor- 19 mone therapy nor drugs that target these receptors 20 are effective against these cancers; therefore, early 21 detection and education is vital. 22 (13) Current research and available data do not 23 provide adequate information on— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:26 Jan 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H113.IH H113 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 113 IH (A) the rates of prevalence and incidence 1 of triple-negative breast cancer in African- 2 American, Hispanic, and other minority women; 3 (B) the costs associated with treating tri- 4 ple-negative breast cancer; and 5 (C) the methods by which triple-negative 6 breast cancer may be prevented or cured in 7 these women. 8 SEC. 3. RESEARCH WITH RESPECT TO TRIPLE-NEGATIVE 9 BREAST CANCER. 10 (a) RESEARCH.—The Director of the National Insti- 11 tutes of Health (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Direc- 12 tor of NIH’’) shall expand, intensify, and coordinate pro- 13 grams for the conduct and support of research with re- 14 spect to triple-negative breast cancer. 15 (b) ADMINISTRATION.—The Director of NIH shall 16 carry out this section through the appropriate institutes, 17 offices, and centers of the National Institutes of Health, 18 including the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute 19 of Child Health and Human Development, the National 20 Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the Office of 21 Research on Women’s Health, and the National Institute 22 on Minority Health and Health Disparities. 23 (c) COORDINATION OF ACTIVITIES.—The Director of 24 the Office of Research on Women’s Health shall coordi- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:26 Jan 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H113.IH H113 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 113 IH nate activities under this section among the institutes, of- 1 fices, and centers of the National Institutes of Health. 2 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the 3 purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized 4 to be appropriated $500,000 for each of the fiscal years 5 2022 through 2024. 6 SEC. 4. EDUCATION AND DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION 7 WITH RESPECT TO TRIPLE-NEGATIVE 8 BREAST CANCER. 9 (a) TRIPLE-NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER PUBLIC 10 EDUCATION PROGRAM.—The Secretary of Health and 11 Human Services, acting through the Director of the Cen- 12 ters for Disease Control and Prevention, shall develop and 13 disseminate to the public information regarding triple-neg- 14 ative breast cancer, including information on— 15 (1) the incidence and prevalence of triple-nega- 16 tive breast cancer among women; 17 (2) the elevated risk for minority women to de- 18 velop triple-negative breast cancer; and 19 (3) the availability, as medically appropriate, of 20 a range of treatment options for symptomatic triple- 21 negative breast cancer. 22 (b) DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION.—The Sec- 23 retary may disseminate information under subsection (a) 24 directly or through arrangements with nonprofit organiza- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:26 Jan 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H113.IH H113 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 113 IH tions, consumer groups, institutions of higher education, 1 Federal, State, or local agencies, or the media. 2 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the 3 purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized 4 to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for 5 each of the fiscal years 2022 through 2024. 6 SEC. 5. INFORMATION TO HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS WITH 7 RESPECT TO TRIPLE-NEGATIVE BREAST CAN- 8 CER. 9 (a) DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION.—The Sec- 10 retary of Health and Human Services, acting through the 11 Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Ad- 12 ministration, shall develop and disseminate to health care 13 providers information on triple-negative breast cancer for 14 the purpose of ensuring that health care providers remain 15 informed about current information on triple-negative 16 breast cancer. Such information shall include the elevated 17 risk for minority women to develop triple-negative breast 18 cancer and the range of available options for the treatment 19 of symptomatic triple-negative breast cancer. 20 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the 21 purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized 22 to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for 23 each of the fiscal years 2022 through 2026. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:26 Jan 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H113.IH H113 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 113 IH SEC. 6. DEFINITION. 1 In this Act, the term ‘‘minority women’’ means 2 women who are members of a racial and ethnic minority 3 group, as defined in section 1707(g) of the Public Health 4 Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300u–6(g)). 5 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:26 Jan 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H113.IH H113 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS