Opening Statement

Chairman Dan Burton

Committee on Government Reform

"The Role of Early Detection and
Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Women’s Cancers"

Thursday, June 10, 1999
10:30 AM
2154 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

We are here today to talk about a subject that has probably touched every family in America -- cancer -- and specifically women’s cancers. In this country, every 64 minutes, a woman is diagnosed with a reproductive tract cancer. One in eight women today will get breast cancer. Some say that number will grow to one in three unless we do a better job of understanding the causes of cancer and preventing it.

This is turning out to be a very busy week in Washington for cancer issues. Last Saturday, over 60,000 people participated in the National Race for the Cure, sponsored by the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. This foundation has done a phenomenal job raising awareness of breast cancer and raising money for research and treatment. I applaud their work.

Today the Government Reform Committee will receive testimony from researchers, health care providers, and patients on the role of early detection and complementary and alternative health practices in women’s cancers.

This coming weekend, the Center for Mind Body Medicine and the University of Texas - Houston Medical School, in cooperation with the National Cancer Institute and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, are conducting the Second Annual Comprehensive Cancer Conference. They will bring together researchers, practitioners, and patients to discuss research advances and patient needs in both conventional and alternative medicine.

This same week, 1,355 women in America will lose their lives to one of these cancers. Overall, more than 10,000 men, women, and children will die from cancer in America this week. I say to their families and loved ones, we in Congress recognize that the war on cancer, declared by President Richard Nixon in 1971, is far from over. We cannot, after 28 years and tens of billions of dollars in research, declare victory.

My wife suffered from breast cancer. Thankfully she is a five-year survivor. I lost my mother and my stepfather to lung cancer last year. So I know what families go through when a loved one has to fight cancer.

Every additional year a patient lives is a victory. Every new treatment, drug, or surgical technique is a potential victory. However, we have not won this war on cancer and we will not give up!

The Committee has been working to break through barriers of institutional bias, to get more research done in complementary and alternative therapies for cancer, and to improve the information available to the public from the Federal Government on treatment options. We cannot abide by institutional biases within the Government that says something isn’t acceptable because it is "alternative" or "unconventional"! We must insure that there is a balance between genetics, drug development, natural product development, and alternative therapy research within the National Cancer Institute.

To combat this bias, I am introducing the "Inclusion of Alternative Approaches in Cancer Research Act." My Bill would insure that every advisory group of the National Cancer Institute has at least one member who is an expert in complementary and alternative medicine.

One leading drug treatment for breast cancer and ovarian cancer, Taxol, was originally derived from the Yew tree and was developed through the natural products program. It is important to continue to look to nature for other opportunities for drug development. It would be a shame if reductions in funding for the natural product drug program resulted in missing the next Taxol.

I have previously mentioned that less than one percent of the National Cancer Institute’s 2.7 billion dollar annual budget goes to research in complementary and alternative medicine. That is very disappointing. Unfortunately, the Director of that Institute does not see the need to change that ratio, and told me in December that he has no plans to extend that -- even though half of America’s cancer patients will include a complementary or alternative treatment in their plan to fight cancer.

Taxol, Tamoxifen, and other drugs are important tools in the fight against cancer. So are pap smears and mammograms. And so is an integrated treatment plan. We have been pleased with the assistance we have received from several of the professional medical associations involved in these areas including the Society for Gynecological Oncology and the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. Dr. Edward Trimble will present information on the National Cancer Institute’s research in early detection and the integration of complementary and alternative health practices in women’ cancers.

Cancer is a disease, but its victims are heroes and heroines -- they are real people with families, jobs, and communities. They make a difference in our lives. People like Sally McClain from Indianapolis, Indiana, who just lost her life to breast cancer that metastasized to her spine. She didn’t give up the fight, not one single day. Or Lynn Lloyd, a high school English teacher in Montgomery County, Maryland -- after two bouts with breast cancer, she is now hospitalized with cancer in her brain and lungs. Even when she was receiving chemotherapy last year, she scheduled it around her classes so she could keep teaching and stay involved with her students. Most of her students didn’t even realize that she was battling cancer until her most recent hospitalization.

We are honored to have another one of those heroines with us today -- Mrs. Priscilla Mack, the Executive Co-Chair of the National Race for the Cure. As a breast cancer survivor, she knows from personal experience the importance of early detection. She has worked hard to raise awareness about women’s cancer issues. With the energy that Mrs. Mack brings to this fight, we will hopefully begin winning more of these battles -- getting research funded that will get to answers about prevention, early diagnosis, treatment, and hopefully, one day very soon, even a cure!

Biomedical research already knows that there is not a "magic bullet" cure for cancer. What we do know at this time is that the earlier cancer is diagnosed, the greater the chances of long-term survival. That’s why pap smears are such an effective tool in saving lives. We do know from good research and practice, that when someone develops a holistic cancer treatment plan -- including attention to mind, body and spirit -- then recovery is more likely, with better quality of life and extended life as well.

Dr. James Gordon, Director of the Center for Mind Body Medicine here in Washington, and an internationally recognized leader in complementary and alternative medicine will be testifying about advances in complementary and alternative medicine cancer research.

When Jane Seymour testified before our committee in February, she shared the story of several of her friends who had gone the conventional route of cancer treatment and then been told by their doctors that they had done everything they could. They were basically told to go home and die. These women did not accept that death sentence. They sought other health care professionals and advice from friends and family on other approaches to treating cancer. They learned, as many others have, that in order to survive the conventional treatments for cancer -- radiation and chemotherapy -- that a body needs to be strengthened through good nutrition.

I am delighted that Michio Kushi is here today to talk to us about the macrobiotic diet and the importance of nutrition in cancer patients. Mr. Kushi is recognized throughout the world as the foremost authority in this field. The Smithsonian Institute has just opened the Michio Kushi Family Collection on the History of Macrobiotics and Alternative and Complementary Health Practices at the National Museum of American History.

We will also be hearing from Susan Silver of the new Center for Integrative Medicine at George Washington University. They have developed a program for women in cancer treatment with an integrative approach.

Dr. Daniel Beilin is here today to update us on a new tool in the arsenal of early detection -- regulation thermograpy. This low-cost test can be used as a complement to mammography for earlier detection of changes in breast tissue. It has been used in Germany extensively. It also is proving to be valuable tool in detecting other cancers like ovarian cancer and prostate cancer. We are looking into advances in research in prostate cancer also and hope to have a hearing in the Fall.

 We expanded our investigation to cover all women’s cancers because there is so much that needs to be done in breast cancer and in other areas, too. For example, there is no reliable early detection test for ovarian cancer. Seventy-five percent of ovarian cancers are not detected until late stage (3 and 4) and there is only a 25 percent survival rate of more than five years. However, of those that are discovered in early stages, there is a 95 percent survival rate of more than 5 years. The symptoms of ovarian cancer are vague - bloating, sudden weight gain, gas pressure, lethargy. There is research to indicate that eating lots of meat and animal fats may increase a woman’s risk of ovarian cancer. We need more good research in these areas find solutions.

The members of this Committee on both sides of the aisle are very involved in these areas including Congresswoman Mink, who introduced HR 961, the Ovarian Cancer Research and Information Amendments of 1999.

Linda Bedell-Logan’s sister died from cancer. During her battle, Linda’s sister, like many cancer patients, suffered with lymphadema. Linda, who was involved in health care, researched her sister’s treatment options and learned about combined decognestive therapy. As a result of this experience, she has helped many cancer patients gain access to this treatment by getting their insurance companies to cover the costs. Lymphadema is a serious complication for many cancer survivors. It causes swelling, usually in an arm or leg. It can be very painful, and it reduces a cancer survivor’s quality of life.

We will also hear from two cancer survivors. Their stories show the struggles that women faced with cancer go through: the need to develop an individualized treatment plan, to find reliable information on all treatment options, and to be comfortable with the treatment choices they make. Lee Gardener and Carol Zarycki are two more cancer heroines. Even though they have faced the most daunting enemy you can imagine, they have recovered, returned to living and to helping others facing cancer.

The hearing record will remain open until June 25 for all those who wish to make written submissions to the record.