Singapore: The US Senate has given its final approval to legislation containing the Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act that gives priority status to lung and pancreatic cancers for the development of a master plan of action that the National Cancer Institute has to send to Congress and make publicly available within 18 months. The US President is expected to sign the bill, the Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, which contains the cancer legislation.

"This is a holiday gift for all the lung cancer advocates around the country who came to Washington in person, or called and emailed their representatives to make lung cancer a priority for federal research," said Ms Laurie Fenton Ambrose, Lung Cancer Alliance President and CEO.

The Senate action concludes the long congressional journey of the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act that started in 2006 with a resolution introduced by then Senators Hillary Clinton, Chuck Hagel and Mike DeWine. The bill now has to be enrolled and officially signed by the President before becoming law. 

Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) is committed to ending injustice and saving lives through an alliance of advocacy, education, and support. LCA provides live, professional support, referral and information services for patients, their loved ones and those at risk for lung cancer; advocates for multiple millions in public health dollars for lung cancer research; and conducts national awareness campaigns.