Published October 2005 — Download PDF of the original newspaper column
Byrd's-Eye View By U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd Winning the Battle Against Breast Cancer
Each October, the nation marks "Breast Cancer Awareness Month" to focus attention on the disease and spread the message that early detection saves lives. Breast cancer accounts for one in three cancers diagnosed in American women, with 211,240 new invasive cases, including 1,410 in West Virginia, expected in 2005. It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in U.S. women. Even more compelling than the statistics are the personal stories of struggle and loss, all too familiar to each of us. One decade ago, breast cancer research was an unacceptably low federal funding priority. That is why I have worked with Senators from both parties to increase America's investment in life-saving breast cancer research. This year alone, the federal government will spend more than $850 million on breast cancer research to improve detection and treatments so that one day there will be a cure for this deadly disease. Our investment is paying off. While the number of breast cancer cases remains high, it is declining. The American Cancer Society reports that deaths from breast cancer have dropped steadily during the 1990s -- progress that is attributed to both early detection and better treatments. Experts state that the most effective way to detect breast cancer is through a combination of clinical breast exams, regular self- exams, and routine mammograms. Mammograms often can find breast cancer early, when treatments are most successful. Yet, many women who have either no health insurance or poor insurance policies cannot afford the cost of this lifesaving test. Fortunately, free mammograms and other cancer screening are available through the statewide breast and cervical cancer prevention, education, and screening project, launched in 1990 with funds I added to an appropriations bill. This initiative provides critical tests to West Virginians who otherwise might not have the access or the financial means to get them. In addition, scientists at the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center at West Virginia University are treating cancer patients and helping to find a cure. The Cancer Center was established, in part, with $13.3 million that I added to federal appropriations bills beginning in 1985. The facility provides patients with high quality, comprehensive breast cancer treatments. By continuing the investment in cancer research and aggressively working to find a cure, I hope that one day we will not need a "Breast Cancer Awareness Month." But until that day arrives, I urge women to learn how to detect the disease at an early stage. Early detection remains the best key to survival. October 19, 2005