[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2222 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2222
To require a review of women and lung cancer, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 10, 2019
Mr. Brendan F. Boyle of Pennsylvania (for himself, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr.
Rutherford, Ms. Bonamici, and Mrs. Dingell) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require a review of women and lung cancer, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Women and Lung Cancer Research and
Preventive Services Act of 2019''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds as follows:
(1) According to the American Cancer Society, in the United
States, approximately 181 women die each day of lung cancer, or
about one woman every 8 minutes.
(2) Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among
women.
(3) The American Cancer Society estimates that 66,020 women
will die of lung cancer in 2019.
(4) Studies have shown a higher incidence rate of lung
cancer for women who were never smokers compared to men who
were never smokers.
(5) According to the American Cancer Society, new cases of
lung cancer dropped by 3 percent per year in men from 2011 to
2015, while new cases in women only dropped 1.5 percent per
year in the same time period.
(6) According to the 2014 report, ``The Health Consequences
of Smoking--50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon
General, 2014'', the relative risk of developing lung cancer
increased tenfold among female smokers between 1959 and 2010.
(7) According to the American Cancer Society, approximately
40 percent of lung cancers are adenocarcinoma, a subtype of
non-small cell lung cancer, which is the most common type of
cancer seen in non-smokers and is more common in women than in
men.
(8) Exposure to radon accounts for approximately 21,000
deaths from lung cancer each year and is the second leading
cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.
(9) A Government Accountability Office report published on
October 22, 2015, called for the National Institutes of Health
to do more in evaluating gender differences in research.
(10) Additional research strategies, including clinical
trials, are necessary to explore the differences in lung cancer
risk factors, incidence, and treatment response in women, and
to address the disparate impact of lung cancer on women who
have never smoked.
(11) Lung cancer screening, which can detect lung cancer at
its earliest, most curable stage, is a covered service
available without cost-sharing for those at high risk.
(12) Published peer-reviewed actuarial studies indicate
that lung cancer screening individuals at high risk may be
cost-effective.
(13) The National Framework of Excellence in Lung Cancer
Screening and Continuum of Care, launched in 2012, demonstrated
that lung cancer screening can be safely and effectively
carried out in community hospital settings around the Nation.
(14) Information on the impact of lung cancer on women and
the importance of early detection should be incorporated into
all relevant public health awareness campaigns.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS CONCERNING WOMEN AND LUNG CANCER.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) there is a disparate impact of lung cancer on women
and, in particular, on women who have never smoked;
(2) additional research strategies to explore the
differences in women with respect to lung cancer risk factors,
incidence, histology, and response to treatment are justified
and necessary;
(3) the implementation of lung cancer preventive services
for women should be accelerated; and
(4) the public health agencies of the Federal Government
should coordinate public education and awareness programs on
the impact of lung cancer on women and the importance of early
detection.
SEC. 4. INTERAGENCY REVIEW TO EVALUATE AND IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES FOR
THE ACCELERATION OF RESEARCH ON WOMEN AND LUNG CANCER,
GREATER ACCESS TO PREVENTIVE SERVICES, AND STRATEGIC
PUBLIC AWARENESS AND EDUCATION CAMPAIGNS.
(a) Review.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in
consultation with the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Veterans
Affairs, shall conduct an interagency review to evaluate the status of,
and identify opportunities related to--
(1) research on women and lung cancer;
(2) access to lung cancer preventive services; and
(3) strategic public awareness and education campaigns on
lung cancer.
(b) Content.--The review and recommendations under subsection (a)
shall include--
(1) a review and comprehensive report on the outcomes of
previous research, the status of existing research activities,
and knowledge gaps related to women and lung cancer in all
agencies of the Federal Government;
(2) specific opportunities for collaborative, interagency,
multidisciplinary, and innovative research, that would--
(A) encourage innovative approaches to eliminate
knowledge gaps in research;
(B) evaluate environmental and genomic factors that
may be related to the etiology of lung cancer in women;
and
(C) foster advances in imaging technology to
improve risk assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and the
simultaneous application of other preventive services;
(3) opportunities regarding the development of a national
lung cancer screening strategy with sufficient infrastructure
and personnel resources to expand access to such screening,
particularly among underserved populations; and
(4) opportunities regarding the development of a national
public education and awareness campaign on women and lung
cancer and the importance of early detection of lung cancer.
(c) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall
submit to Congress a report on the review conducted under subsection
(a).
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