News

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), along with Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Joe Manchin (D-WV) reintroduced the bipartisan, Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventative Services Act of 2019. The bill would encourage more research into the prevention and treatment of lung cancer in women, particularly for those who have never smoked, and require federal agencies to evaluate and report their findings to Congress. Rubio and Feinstein previously introduced this legislation last Congress.
 
Congressmen Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
 
“Despite the significant impact of lung cancer on women in Florida and across the country, there is a lack of research on this terrible disease and its disproportionate effect on women, particularly those who are non-smokers,” Rubio said. “This bill is a positive step in the battle against lung cancer, and will encourage additional research to develop better prevention and treatment tools.”
 
“Today, more women than men live with lung cancer. In 2019, an estimated 66,000 women will lose their lives to this terrible disease. Despite the effect it has on women’s lives across the country, there’s still much we don’t know,” Feinstein said. “For instance, we don’t know why women who have never smoked have been shown to be twice as likely to get lung cancer as nonsmoking men. This bill will provide much-needed support for research focused on understanding this disparity and promote preventive screening for women.”
 
“As lung cancer continues to affect women in West Virginia and other states—especially among non-smokers—at disproportionate rates, we need to truly understand the problem and its causes to effectively address it,” Capito said. “This bipartisan legislation will support research that allows us to improve treatment and prevention efforts and better provide for the health and wellbeing of women across the country.”
 
“Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer taking the lives of far too many West Virginians and Americans, each and every year. Although, there have been huge advancements in cancer research, screening and treatment in recent decades, there is still a lot we do not understand about lung cancer and more needs to be done, especially around why women have a higher chance of developing it. I am proud to be a co-sponsor of this bipartisan bill, so that we can work together to make sure more of our loved ones beat this awful disease,” Manchin said.
 
“Though the medical community has made incredible strides preventing and treating lung cancer over the past decades, women are being left behind,” Boyle said. “Every eight minutes, one American woman dies of lung cancer, 181 each day, and their lung cancer rates are falling at half the rate of men’s. This bill is an important step toward ensuring Americans of all genders can be spared the devastation of this disease.”
 
“With some studies showing women are more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer than men, more research and resources must be directed to better understand this disease and mitigate this alarming statistic, especially among non-smokers,” Fitzpatrick said. “I am proud to support this bipartisan, bicameral legislation and to stand with those affected by this disease to promote enhanced prevention and treatment.”