Ms. Jackson Lee initiated the discussion of this bill on the floor of the House of Representatives on 3rd January 2013. Remarkably, the bill was to ensure that both the senate and the House of Representatives carry out an extensive research on this type of breast cancer (Full Text of H.R. 80: Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Research and Education Act of 2013, 2013). Upon deeper research on the bill, the congress found out that in every four women suffering from cancer, one of them is suffering from breast cancer. In addition, the prevalence rate among African American women is higher than among the White women. Early detection of the disease raises the chances of survival to 98% from 23% of late detection at stage IV. This type of breast cancer occurs when both the estrogen and progesterone receptors are absent in the cells. Markedly, the cells lack numerous HER2 proteins that they can supply. In comparison to other breast cancer infections, Triple-negative breast cancer is highly diagnosed in women; it also has a higher prevalence on women than other cancers, with a triple prevalence on African American women than White women.
Moreover, the congress noted that this type of cancer grows and spreads at a high rate. Doctors also administer the same treatment to this type of cancer. The treatment options include chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy. Early detection of this type of breast cancer is necessary in ensuring survival of patients. When the receptors are absent in the cells, the drugs administered are rendered ineffective, thus no change. Significantly, mass education awareness on triple-negative breast cancer is essential to avert death cases (Full Text of H.R. 80: Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Research and Education Act of 2013, 2013). Additionally, the bill seeks to come up with varied means of preventing and curing these growths in women. Further, the congress fancied the bill to have adequate information on the cost of treating this cancer.
On the other front, the bill is meant to empower women on the early signs of this triple-negative breast cancer. There was to be a Public Education Program that is manned by the Human and Health Services Secretary. This program’s mandate is to develop information regarding triple-negative breast cancer and ensure successful dissemination to the entire public. The secretary is to carry out the dissemination process with assistance from the media, Federal and State governments, and non-profit making institutions. In their coordination of activities during the research program, different offices and National Institute of Health (NIH) shall be used by the Director of Women’s Health. Notably, women from lower economic classes, the minority, are at a higher risk of contracting this type of breast cancer than other women in other social stratification classes in the society.
According to the bill, the health care providers were also to be equipped with broad information on the present status of the triple-negative breast cancer (Full Text of H.R. 80: Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Research and Education Act of 2013, 2013). Some of the essential pieces of information that the health assistants ought to know include the risk elevation of the disease among the minority women and wide-ranging methods of treating the disease at an early stage. In addition, the bill outlined the amount of money that the Federal government should allocate for treating this type of breast cancer in the coming years. In essence, the bill strives to ensure that both the health care providers and the public get more information on triple-negative breast cancer.
Reference
Full Text of H.R. 80: Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Research and Education Act of 2013. (2013). GovTrack.us: Tracking the U.S. Congress. Web.