Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee approved $240 million in the FY10 Department of Defense Appropriations Bill for cutting-edge, life-saving cancer research. Senator Gillibrand aggressively lobbied members of the Appropriations Committee to include funding for these projects in this year’s spending bill.
“It is critical that we continue to invest in cutting-edge, life-saving cancer research,” Senator Gillibrand said. “Too many families must overcome the heartbreaking effects of cancer. While cancer continues to claim many lives, with the right investments in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, families will have the tools and resources needed to combat this terrible disease.”
As part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Bill, Senator Gillibrand helped to initially secure the following federal investments:
· $150 million for Breast Cancer Research that will be distributed to organizations that perform innovative, high-risk, high-return research through a competitive grant process. Nearly 41,000 women and 450 men die each year of breast cancer.
· $10 million for the Ovarian Cancer Research to expand scientific knowledge and improve prevention, early diagnosis and survival rates from ovarian cancer. It is estimated that more than 22,000 women were diagnosed with the disease last year and more than 15,000 women died ovarian canter in 2008.
· $80 million for Prostate Cancer Research to help maintain current levels of research and expand into innovative areas of study, including conducting important clinical trials that will help to bring important research from the laboratory to the bedside. This year, 200,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and 30,000 men will die from the disease. Prostate cancer is the most diagnosed non-skin cancer in the United States and the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men.
Today, the Appropriations Bill for the Department of Defense passed the full committee. The legislation will head to the floor for a full vote before the Senate. The bill will then proceed to the House-Senate Conference Committee, before final passage in both chambers, and sent to the President to become law.
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