WASHINGTON — December 14, 2011 — Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, the world's largest breast cancer organization, today expressed appreciation to  the U.S. Congress  for helping to fund important  breast cancer research  by approving a four-year extension of the Breast Cancer Research Stamp Act. The bill passed the House of Representatives yesterday  afternoon by a vote of 417–1. It was passed unanimously by the Senate on December 5, and now goes to President Obama for his signature.

Since the stamp was first introduced in 1998, it has generated more than $74 million for federal breast cancer research and treatment.

“We are very grateful to those lawmakers who introduced and supported this legislation,”  said Susan G. Komen Founder and CEO Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker. “More than 2.5 million people are surviving breast cancer today, but with more than 230,000 new cases of breast cancer expected to be diagnosed in the U.S. this year alone, our work is far from done. By purchasing these stamps, the American people are making an important contribution to breast cancer research. We thank them for helping to make this program such an incredible success.”

Research projects funded by the stamp  include $12.5 million in NCI grants to support  research that would have otherwise gone unfunded, a clinical trial to select breast cancers for chemotherapy treatment based on indications of the risk of recurrence, and an ongoing comprehensive program in breast cancer pre-malignancy research.

 

Source: komen.org