THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK

According to a media release on the web site of Senator Barbara Boxer (D, CA), the senator, in conjunction with Representative Elijah Cummings, has introduced legislation in the U.S. Congress to be known as the “Prostate Cancer Detection Research and Education Act.” This legislation is intended to improve research and detection of prostate cancer. It would also  support “a national campaign to raise awareness about the need for prostate cancer screening.”

We should immediately be clear about a number of factors related to the introduction of this piece of legislation:

• It is highly unlikely to “go anywhere” during this election year, but it does represent a stake in the ground regarding additional monies for research and awareness about risks related to prostate cancer.
• The legislation includes about $180 million for application to research and awareness initiatives. However, there is some diversity of opinion across the prostate cancer community about the details in the proposed legislation.
• The “New” Prostate Cancer InfoLink and Prostate Cancer International are all in favor of additional funds that will help to improve the quality of research into new ways to diagnose prostate cancer and educate physicians and patients about the importance of accuracy in diagnosis of clinically significant prostate cancer.
• The “New” Prostate Cancer InfoLink has neither publicly supported nor disagreed with this piece of legislation. However, we do believe that it “needs work” if it is ever to become law.

As yet the full text of this legislation is still to be made available on the Thomas web site, and no bill code has been assigned to this legislation in the Senate or the House of Representatives.

Filed under: Diagnosis, Risk Tagged: | awareness, Congress, Diagnosis, education, Legislation, risk