What This Bill Does
This bill directs the National Institutes of Health to expand research programs focused on triple-negative breast cancer (a type of breast cancer whose cells lack certain receptors that respond to standard treatments). It also requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Health Resources and Services Administration to develop and share educational information about triple-negative breast cancer with the public and health care providers.
Who It Affects
The National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Health Resources and Services Administration, health care providers, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and the general public, particularly minority women.
Key Provisions
• The Director of the National Institutes of Health must expand, intensify and coordinate research programs for triple-negative breast cancer (Sec. 3a)
• The Director of the National Institutes of Health will carry out research through multiple institutes including the Office of Research on Women's Health and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (Sec. 3b)
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must develop and share public information about triple-negative breast cancer, including information on how it affects minority women and available treatment options (Sec. 4a)
• The Health Resources and Services Administration must develop and share information about triple-negative breast cancer to health care providers to keep them informed about current information and treatment options (Sec. 5a)
What Changes
Federal agencies will begin conducting and coordinating new research on triple-negative breast cancer and will create educational materials for both the general public and health care providers about this disease, its prevalence in minority communities and available treatments.
Important Definitions
"Minority women" means women who are members of a racial and ethnic minority group as defined in section 1707(g) of the Public Health Service Act (Sec. 6)
Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 235
To provide for research and education with respect to triple-negative breast
cancer, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 10, 2023
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 2023’’.
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
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(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
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(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—
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(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-
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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
2024 through 2026.
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
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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 2024 through 2026.
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 2024 through 2028.
24
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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
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