May 12, 2008 (Bethesda, MD) - CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation joins with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to salute Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (R-OH), longtime champion of pediatric cancer research, at today’s renaming of the Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2007 to the “Caroline Pryce Walker Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2008.”
This landmark legislation cleared another significant hurdle today, as it was approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. During committee markup, the bill was renamed to honor the memory of Pryce’s daughter Caroline, who passed away in 1999 at age nine from a Neuroblastoma. The bill is now clear for consideration on the full House floor.
The Caroline Pryce Walker Conquer Childhood Cancer Act authorizes funding to expand the federal support for cooperative biomedical, peer-reviewed clinical trials and research programs, which directly translate into meaningful advances in the treatment of childhood cancer. These advances improve cure rates and provide children facing cancer and their families hope for a long and healthy life.
“The Caroline Pryce Walker Conquer Childhood Cancer Act allows for translation of the very best research discoveries into clinical evaluation and practice, in order to improve the cure rates for all children with cancer,” noted Gregory Reaman, MD, Chair of the Children’s Oncology Group. “Only research cures childhood cancer. On behalf of my colleagues within the Children’s Oncology Group, and the children with cancer and their families who are our partners in clinical research, we thank our Congressional leaders, most especially, Congresswoman Pryce.”
After the committee’s approval of the legislation, Congresswoman Pryce said, “I am thrilled with the continued progress of this bill. This legislation brings us one step closer to a goal universally shared by all of humanity - the eradication of pediatric cancer, and an end to the incalculable misery cancer inflicts on so many young lives. I am increasingly optimistic that Congress will soon give pediatric cancer the attention and resources it so desperately needs.”
The Children’s Oncology Group includes more than 5,000 medical experts in childhood cancer and treatment, located at more than 200 leading children’s hospitals, university hospitals and cancer centers in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Western Europe. The COG treats more than 90% of all children diagnosed with cancer in the United States.
“Despite decades of significant research progress, cancer remains the number one cause of death from disease in children. Every school day, 46 children, or two classrooms of students, are diagnosed with cancer in this country,” said Stacy Pagos Haller, Executive Director, CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation.
“Each day that childhood cancer goes under-funded the road to discovering new treatments and cures becomes longer and more children die. The loss of even one more child is one too many. We are grateful for the leadership in both houses, and in both parties; passage of the Caroline Pryce Walker Conquer Childhood Cancer Act will have a positive impact on children now and in future generations.”
