how the odds of getting cancer increases with each decade increases. >> for alzheimer's, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, every five years the incidences doubled. by the time you're 45 you have a 45% chance of having alzheimer's. by the time your a dui the one in two chance if you're a male, one in three chance -- by the time you are 80, you have a one and two chance if your mail and one in three chance of your fema. it is a question, can we afford not to support the solution? today we spend a quarter of a trillion dollars for 5.4 million americans inflicted with the disease. by 2050 we will be spending $1 trillion in today's dollars if we don't impact on the disease. we have to make a concerted effort to get out ahead of these problems in a way we know we can through decisive research, development of drugs, and so on that would make a difference. >> not to mention the human cost. she didn't have the might. -- mic.

>> i am karen brooks. i want to thank you both for a lifetime of science. can you speak to the state of research and treatment for brain cancer and other such forms of cancer? >> we have made tremendous progress across many different fronts. among the most challenging, to diseases i spent time studying in my laboratory is the brain cancer that took senator kennedy's life and also pancreas cancer. there has been a tremendous amount of basic science work that has given us the atlas of genes in those cancers, really outstanding genetic model systems that help us understand what those genes do, but we are

faced with converting noninformation into therapies that truly treat those diseases. i am cautiously optimistic of early data beginning to emerge in the immunotherapy space which may give us a foothold upon which we can build quite rapidly. a good example, another disease we studied because it is a very lent disease -- virulent diseases melanoma. in 2009 there were very few advances that had any impact on survival. with the advent of this new enemy in therapy, we have 23 percent of patients that appear

to be cured. these are patients out 13 years. this is within six to nine months. 23% we have durable responses and now the addition of another immune modulating drug appears to be generating similar results in the majority of patients. maybe be 80%. we cannot say yet because it hasn't been around long enough. it could be in the next five years we may have 80%, 90% cure of those with advanced disease.

the perspective is there was nothing for these individuals, no hope, and that's the example of science being converted into new life-saving drugs. i think with some of these other diseases, if we can get a crack on the armor, we can build with combinations, because we have this enormous technology to really figure out what is going on with these complex diseases. that's difficult. we have getting drugs in. there is a whole bunch. the same thing with pen creat a cancer, issues relating to drug penetration. -- pancreatic cancer, relating to drug penetration. we need a special effort in each of these areas. this is a great opportunity, but we need a stronger critical mass. >> i would say another word about the immunotherapy approach. this is so exciting. it has been built on efforts many thought was never going to pay off. science magazine calling cancer immunotherapy the breakthrough of the year, not just in medical

research, in all science. cancer immunotherapy was the most exciting thing to happen in the view of the editors. one already talked about the way people like allison figured out a way to unleash the system. you find out how do you bring it back to life, that there is another, even more sophisticated approach where you not only activate the immune system in a general way, but you train those t cells to go after a target you identified in the tumor, and you basically give those cells instructions. you educate them about what their target should be. it's the chimeric antigen strategy developed by a number of groups. there is a paper describing dramatic results with the approach in leukemias and lymphomas, but it has been tried in brain cancer.

there is a trial on going. i happen to be watching it closely, because a dear friend of mine is one of the participants. a woman who lives in michigan, and she comes back every couple months to see what happened. she is now two years out without any evidence of regrowth, which is pretty good. that's an anecdote, but it is a fascinating strategy. it's using the approach, which she refers to as her ninja warriors going after those cells that need to be wiped out. it's really tough. nobody stuck with brain tumors were pancreatic cancer would say this is anything but a tough problem. there are all kinds of problems. i would say we have a better set

of ideas and strategies than we have ever had. we ought to put every bit of energy into making this real. >> you talked about some kinds of cancer that are essentially cured now. what is going to be the kind of cancer that is the last one to solve? would it be brain and pen creat a cancer? what do you think? -- pancreatic cancer? what do you think? but there are challenges with diseases that show heterogeneity. i would not pay one cancer. those cancers such as lung cancer,: cancer -- colon cancer, it is as if there is a hand grenade in the nucleus, and there is massive regeneration of the genome. this is why it is so exciting because it is designed to go after complexity. it has many billions of combinations that can deploy to identify heterogeneity, and the targeted therapy does not elicit those responses unless used in that combination. it is the category of disease or

which there has been wholesale change in the genome. this is why if we can get the detection of cancer much earlier at a time in the history of an aspiring cancer to be able to intervene at a point where there are fewer cells, they have less levels of genetic alteration, i think the fight is one that could be one more readily -- won more readily. it's the combination, but brain cancer is a tough problem. and greedy as cancer is a tough problem, in part because we not -- pen creat take -- pancreatic cancer is a tough problem, in part because we do not have a way to get adequate amount of drugs to the system. but i would not expect melanoma

would be one of the early successes, so i am totally unable to predict what will be the last one. >> we are constantly humbled. >> we have about five more minutes. we have lots more questions. >> i am a head and neck cancer survivor, not caused by the hpv virus. i have a great interest in the vaccine. do you feel someday it will be mandatory? >> as part of our initiative, we have embarked on a number of cancers where we are trying to push policy education on a variety of different fronts, be

it tobacco or vaccines. i think it is an enormous missed opportunity for us not to vaccinate all of our children during the window of opportunity. girls and boys. there is an epidemic amongst men. there is no pap smear like cervical cancer where we can identify these cancers early and it extracts a very significant toll on these individuals. we have hopefully later this year and early next year the fda may approve a vaccine. this is a unique opportunity we have where we can inspire our legislative bodies across the country to enact appropriate guidelines so we can really

protect our children. it is an incredibly safe incredibly effective vaccine. this is what we have been dreaming for. a vaccine that can prevent cancer from happening in the first place. this is manna from heaven. we need to take advantage of this, because anybody who feels this vaccine should not be given, i would ask them to come with me and do one examination of a patient with advanced head and neck cancer, advanced cervical cancer, and you tell me what the appropriate case of action should have been for those individuals decades earlier. it is a childcare responsibility. we as adults have a solemn responsibility to protect the health and well-being of future generations. i have three children, ages 10 12, and 13, all vaccinated. one boy and two girls. >> you saw what a political football that became in your

state of texas. >> i think the approach was one -- the approach governor perry took was one where he did the right thing but did not engage in the appropriate instruction needed so there would be grass-roots consensus. we will approach the legislation or -- legislature in texas and a variety of other states so we can educate our legislators of the opportunity. it's important to appreciate. this gets mixed up in sexual promiscuity. there is one time between ages nine and 13 where there is optimal immune responsiveness to the vaccine. that is the window of opportunity. it's not like you could wait later on and say, let's make a

decision at a later time. 80% of the world's population is infected when they become adults. the vaccine does not work as effectively or at all later on. the time to give this life-saving vaccine that can prevent over 400,000 deaths worldwide is in those ages, and we must do it as a society. >> did you want to add anything? >> i totally agree. >> one last question. but if you can address using viruses -- >> if you can address viruses to treat cancer. do you have hope in that area? >> i will just say a word. the way in which we have tried to approach cancer has many different avenues. small molecules, biologic antibodies, and of course more traditional things like radiation, surgery. the virus approach often is you are trying to arm the virus to specifically go after the cancer

cells. often it is a virus you engineered. i think there have been advances in that regard, some of them in brain cancer, what not to the point where we can fully see how that is going to provide a major new weapon we want to use against most cancers. >> there are many viruses being utilized to try to take advantage of differences in cancer cells versus normal cells , that viruses may replicate in cancer cells versus not replicating. this provides opportunities to really disrupt those cancer cells and lead to death of the cancer cells, but as francis mentioned, this is not as effective as one would imagine on the basis of that particular approach and paradigm. however, those viruses that are new antigens, when combined with immune modulation may provide significant opportunities to train the immune system to recognize not only viral

particles but bystander mutations that are occurring in the cancer cell, so it may really prime the immune system further. there is exciting work going on with a particular engineered virus and brain cancer, which is showing impressive result that in a subset of patients. we need to understand why some patients are responding versus not. those are exciting opportunities. i think that estimate is going to need to be combined with other modalities to bring out the full potential. quest we're out of time. i want to thank you for such an interesting -- >> we >> in just a moment we will hear

more on cancer nutrition research. and then we will take a look at some of the legislative priorities for the new year. and discussion on the use of the death penalty in today's criminal justice system. >> on the next "washington journal," a look ahead to the 2016 presidential race, with political consultants. and then a discussion on the rising costs of higher education with the senior writer for the chronicle of higher education. and we will take your phone calls and comments on facebook and twitter. i've everyday at 7 a.m. eastern, on c-span. >> monday night, amy mitchell, of the few research center, on political polarization and where people get their news. >> we look at facebook in particular, they are still the

largest outlet that has the greatest percentage of the american public using it in terms of sites. about half said they got political news from facebook of the last week. that puts social media and facebook in particular about on par with local television and the other top outlets. so it clearly does play a role in people's information environments. what we found when we broke down the differences, ideologically is that the consistent conservatives were much more likely to have circles of friends and see political posts that are more aligned with their own political thinkings. more so than a mix or consistent liberals. but consistent liberals are much more likely to actually defend someone, to drop someone because of their political views.

>> monday night at 8 p.m. eastern, on c-span two. >> now, a cancer survivor, congressman bobby spot, discussing cancer research at an hour-long event hosted by the cancer innovation coalition. >> on behalf of the cancer coalition members with executive board of directors of national patient advocate foundation, our ceo was not in attendance with us today, but certainly sends you his greetings and is gratitude for your attendance. thank you for being here with us today. in our country today, 1600 people will die of cancer. every single day of this year, 1600 people will die of cancer. by year end, we will have had 585,720 people in the united states who will succumb to cancer.

our nation will have spent $201.5 billion in health care costs to fight cancer and to provide treatment to the 1.6 million americans who will be diagnosed with cancer this year. these statistics are not numbers. they are families. they are futures not realized, and they are failures. that we all share as we have been waging this war on cancer that was declared 50 years ago. we have made progress. between 1998 and 2000, life expectancy for cancer patients increased by approximately four years, which translated to 23 million additional years of life and roughly $1.9 trillion in value added to the economy.

in an article entitled "an economic evaluation of the war on cancer." on behalf of every family in our nation who has mourned the loss of a loved one, thank you for being here today to listen and to learn about the work of the cancer innovation coalition through project innovation. cancer cures are born of innovation. you will be addressed by experts. they will include our first speaker, congressman robert scott, and i must say our dear congressman, whom i will

formally introduce in a moment. the panel that will address you includes dr. edith mitchell, john harrington, and heather. allow me to introduce each panelist to you briefly. dr. edith mitchell is an oncologist, board certified in internal medicine and oncology and a clinical professor at the department of medicine. a medical oncology program leader. gastrointestinal oncology at jefferson medical college of thomas jefferson university and associate director for diversity programs and director of the center to eliminate cancer disparities for the sidney kimmel cancer center at jefferson. dr. mitchell has spent her medical career helping individuals in medically underserved areas. she has published more than 100 articles in this united states. she is known throughout this country as a retired brigadier general. the first brigadier general

female african-american in the united states. her leadership in this country is well documented in the numerous awards she has received, from the military, from the association of cancer centers, so it is a privilege to have her also as a member of the scientific committee of the national patient advocate foundation to address you. john harrington is recently retired. he spent his entire 36-year career with the legacy companies of sanofi. he distinguished himself by the late great teams and producing outstanding results. he retired as a senior vice president and chief commercial officer for global oncology. he built a commercial team in

cambridge, massachusetts and also staffed the regions with commercial oncology. previous to this role, he led the u.s. oncology business unit. since his retirement, he now serves on multiple boards in the united states. including somerset regional health center, the ada industry advisory board, the concord cancer foundation. it is a privilege to have john with us today. there is a saying we have, and that is the patient never gets it wrong. the speaker you will certainly enjoy as well is heather falwell are.

she is a graduate of american university and washington, d.c., and she now enjoys traveling to exotic locations around the world with her husband, jeff. she lives in maryland with her husband, son, and two rescued cats. her hobbies include vegetable gardens, sewing, and home decorating. in the spring of 2012, she was diagnosed with stage four cancer following a craniotomy. her story is compelling. you will certainly enjoy all that she has to share with you. it is my privilege to also share, you will be addressed today by several biomedical researchers and clinicians who while not in this room, has sent their message to you via videotape. you will and today session with the message as well from dr.

janet woodcock of the food and drug administration another representatives from the research community. it is a privilege not to be able to introduce to you formally commerce men robert c scott. he is currently serving his 11th term in congress. prior to that, he served in the house of representatives in virginia as a delegate from 1978 to 1988. in the senate of virginia from 1983 until 1995. he has distinguished himself in his career with a passion for health care initiatives, but he also serves on the subcommittee for civil rights and civil liberties of all americans. as part of his commitment to the developing of universal health

care for all and previous congresses, representative scott introduced the all healthy children act to ensure millions of uninsured children would be ensured. he likewise worked to get that same provision into the affordable care act. he is a man of compassion. he is the son of a physician and it is a privilege to introduce to you representative scott. [applause] >> thank you for your kind introduction, and thank you for all that you do. hampton roads is the proud home of the patient advocate foundation, and you have obviously used your experiences with your friends dealing with health care to help others. people are faced with many challenges of what choices in health care they will pursue and

how to pay for those choices and the patient advocate foundation has helped hundreds of thousands of people navigate the health care system. they are also a reliable resource when we went through the affordable care act, when we went through that, and a lot of the provisions have your fingerprints on it. affordability so everybody can get health care. those with pre-existing conditions, those with no unfair cancellation of coverage, no cap on benefits, but a cap on total out of pockets of people so people don't go bankrupt. your fingerprints have a lot -- you have a lot of fingerprints on the affordable care act, and i thank you for that. just as hampton roads is the home to the advocacy foundation, we are also home to many other cancer related institutions, one of which the hampton university proton treatment institute is

one of just a handful with the cutting-edge surgery that exists only in a handful of centers across the country. we have the cancer center, one of only 68 cancer centers designated by the national cancer institute and is a vital resource for cancer research. both doing significant research in the area of cancer treatment. all of these entities will benefit greatly from groups like project innovation coalition and the positive impact they will have. under the leadership of the patient advocate foundation, the project innovation coalition represents a movement which will ensure access to life-saving treatment and medical care. launched just this year, project innovation was born out of the

release of the national patient advocate report securing innovation and help in cancer treatment, which identifies institutional and regulatory funding hurdles which are driving up costs and delaying new therapies, which will limit patient access to new treatment. i am sure as our speakers will note today, these obstacles are not insurmountable. with dedication and investment the federal government can and should be able to move in the right direction and increase access to life-saving treatments. the project innovation coalition will continue to show policymakers and other stakeholders why these improvements are so necessary. one of the problems we have in addressing this is some of our legislators will have to change priorities. in the past few years, congress has extended massive tax cuts. at the same time, they cut funding for the centers for disease control and other research areas.

many states have decided not to expand medicaid to provide health care for hundreds of thousands of people. notwithstanding studies are showing those states that expand medicaid are actually spending less state money than those that did not. the states that expand medicaid are actually saving state money and providing coverage for hundreds of thousands of their citizens. we've done a lot with the affordable care act. but there is still a lot to do. i believe it is the work of the national patient advocate foundation and project innovation will be key to changing priorities and informing how we can make improvements by facing patients desk supporting patients who are facing expensive ways to treat chronic or life-threatening conditions like cancer. once again, i want to thank you for all you have done and all that you are continuing to do to help patients face their critical health care choices. thank you very much. [applause] >> let me share that from this point forward, we will essentially have now an address from cancer leaders who are going to speak out to you via video.

and immediately, dr. mitchell will come to the microphone and address you. followed by john harrington and then heather will come to the microphone and address you. joel, thank you. ♪ [video clip] >> we are losing our edge. primarily because most of the innovation has taken place outside of this country. >> funds for conducting research and especially clinical trials is going down. as a result of that, many clinical trials are being conducted outside of the united states instead of inside the united states. >> what used to be the great engine of american innovation. it's now finding homes in europe and new business models emerging in china and the far east. >> the urgency now is with more and more people being diagnosed. we need innovation in cancer

prevention. we need innovation in more cancer treatments. >> the slowdown is largely related to funding of younger investigators. i think we are in danger of losing a generation of cancer researchers as we face this problem. >> not long ago, we had a woman present with an incapacitating headache. she had metastatic cancer to the brain, which was a life rat. at the time of surgery, we were able to take her tissue and send it for molecular profiling so we can take advantage of new therapies. she had a mutation that allowed access to target therapy. she could take a very non-toxic and her disease has gone into remission. >> a major step forward has been in using engineered measles

virus to treat a disease. it is called multiple myeloma. we have seen a woman who had the disease become resistant to many cards of their pay, now going into remission for months going on years. innovation of cancer therapies is crucial at this point because we are reaching the limitations of some of the traditional therapies. as we gain knowledge into new therapies, horizons open that we haven't imagined before. in the way cancer can be treated. by increasing innovation patients will have more access to treatment that can potentially cure their cancer.

>> the tumors we treat continue to change so that when we develop a new treatment, the tumor can actually adapt to that treatment and overcome it. we need innovative approaches that overcome that resistance when tumors develop to our treatment. >> cancer innovation is essential because that is how we have improved outcomes in the last 10 to 20 years. we have a lot further to go. and it's not just curing cancer. from a nursing perspective, it's returning patients to normal functionality. >> and less innovation keeps up with the pace to changing demographics and changes in diseases, we could fall behind. >> it is now our privilege to welcome dr. edith mitchell. >> nancy, thank you very much.

.....congressman scott. and ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here this morning. it is a privilege for me to speak about cancer innovations. this year marked the 50th anniversary of the american society of oncology. which, in 1964, seven people got together to discuss cancer innovations and how it could move forward. move forward to 2014.

it has more than 35,000 members and is one of the largest organizations to demonstrate cancer innovations. so what we have now, not only is asco emphasizing its large membership, but it's emphasizing new cancer innovations. and the new and innovative technologies we are using and that show our patients can survive and live longer. certainly, the last 50 years have shown significant advances in overall cancer survivorship. the american cancer society just this year reported that there was a 20% decline in cancer deaths over the last two decades. this decline in cancer deaths means that 1,340,400 deaths were eliminated and therefore, these people survived. also in 1964, there were fewer than 3 million cancer survivors. and now, in 2014, there are more than 14 million people in the

united states living and having survived cancer. so this is an extraordinary time. it's very important that we continue the innovation in cancer research. certainly, at the meeting earlier this year, in celebration of 50 years of asco, there were demonstrations of what have some of the important advances been that we have made over the last 50 years. one of the first was chemotherapy cures for hodgkin's lymphoma. which was first found in 1965. and since that time, prior to that, it was universally almost detrimental and caused death. the treatment was limited with

radiation and surgery. now chemotherapy, today in 2014, more than 90% of patients with hodgkin's lymphoma are cured. the second advance was a vaccine approved to prevent cervical cancer. this vaccine against the hpv virus not only allows for treatment and cures for cervical cancer, but other cancers including head and neck cancers. and anal cancer. so the advance in presenting cervical cancer. number three, targeted drug transformations. targeted drug transformations with the fact of cure for rare leukemia, in 2001. the fda approval of the drug means that patients who universally die from this leukemia are now cured of that disease. and within that drug, not only has it been useful in the

treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia, but other diseases now have much better prognosis. and the idea of targeted drugs which have fewer than the trans standard chemotherapy, these patients do not suffer as much. so very important. and number four was the advance for the cure of testicular cancer. prior to 1977, when dr. lawrence einhorn put forth his regiment for treating testicular cancer almost all patients with testicular cancer died in one year. move forward to 2014. almost every patient with

testicular cancer not only survives five years, but they are cured of the disease. so innovation showed all of these therapies allowed for our patients to live longer. the number five advance was powerful antinausea drugs to alleviate the side effects of cancer treatments. the demonstration at the drug zofran made tremendous strides. not only have we conquered vomiting from chemotherapy and other treatments, but also drugs to treat anemia. and other side effects of cancer have been demonstrated. and what we have, therefore, is a better quality of life for patients.

as a result of our investment in clinical cancer research, more people are surviving cancer than ever before in this country. two out of three people live at least five years after a diagnosis of cancer. and many are cured. therefore, the cancer death rate has dropped more than 20% in this country over the last 20 years. so the last two decades. if we are to continue this advancement for treating patients and treating the side effects, we must continue the research. this month, october, is breast cancer awareness month. let me tell you about some of

the advancements in the treatment of breast cancer. no longer do we have the radical mastectomy, but breast conservation therapy is there and is the standard now, decreasing a lot of the side effects and consequences of massive surgery such as the mastectomy. the estrogen receptor and other hormonal and molecular receptors for breast cancer has allowed for drugs that address those specific receptors, allowing for personalized medicine with drugs such as tamoxifen. in early days when tamoxifen was first found, it was given to everybody. now we know which patients are more likely to benefit from the drug. consequently, personalized medicine, meaning, we can get the right drug for the right patient the first time. and that is very important. not only have targeted therapies addressed breast cancer, but

other cancers also. colorectal cancer, melanoma, lung cancer, and others. therefore, our innovative technologies development of new treatment plans and regiment allows for more patients to survive. not only treatment, but innovative technologies for diagnosing cancer such as computerized tomography or ct scans. digital mammography, mris, gene sequencing, and finding the gene and mutations for cancer so that we can address specifically those mutations, those changes that cause cancer growth and proliferation in each individual patient. so in summary, i have provided you some of the innovative technologies over the last 50 years that have allowed for patients in the united states. but not only in the united states, to live longer and survive cancer, and therefore,

have a better quality of life. so whether we talk about chemotherapy treatment, targeted treatment, research, patient care, the nausea vomiting drugs, the chemotherapy, the technology for mri and diagnostic imaging so that we can more accurately diagnosed cancers, the molecular technology. how did this come about? it did not happen overnight. it happened through each of these milestones having resulted from careful, basic, laboratory research, rigorously conducted clinical trials, and these clinical trials are made possible by the funding of research and the participation of patients in these clinical trials. you have heard from the video

that many clinical trials are moved outside the united states. it's important we address clinical research and all the stakeholders involved collectively joined together to move forward in the research. the stakeholders include -- collectively, we have to work together. legislative, scientific, clinical, policy and governmental, the administrative part, institutions of higher learning so that we are bringing newer and younger generations into the arena for treating patients. not only the institutions, but patients and advocacy. all of us must work together to make the commitments to provide the resources that permit enhanced innovative research and clinical applications so that we can continue to say it is the

legacy of asco and those early scientists and clinicians that got together to say, we must develop innovative technologies to take care of patients with cancer. we must continue this legacy we must continue this legacy of increasing survivorship for cancer patients, and improving the quality of life for cancer patients. ladies and gentlemen, i am urging everyone, let's get together. everybody has a role, and we have to work together. in summary, yes, we can conquer cancer.

>> thank you, dr. mitchell. rep. scott and nancy. thank you for the opportunity today to share my thoughts and experience on one of the most important healthcare issues facing the world, and facing the research capabilities of the united states. the issue of ensuring that funding is provided will prolong the quality and longevity of human life. while there is a very important need on health care coverage that congress has been working hard to accomplish, there's also the need that i know they are focused on as well to ensure that innovation within the united states __ that has delivered some a breakthrough

__ so may break used for so many patients in the united states. i have worked in the united states for 32 years of my career, but have also had the great opportunity to travel the world. i've seen what is being done most recently both in the united states and in the world. i've also been able to work on a number of boards. also, specific care delivery systems. also, your life have been touched by cancer, i lost both of my parents, many friends and family members, and i must also say, i am also a cancer survivor myself.

that gives you a racist edge for innovation __ razors edge for innovation. research, development, and most importantly, advancement has led to significant increases in survival. for decades, and unprecedented success has left many feeling __ why haven't they cured cancer? perhaps we no longer here the american cancer society, the american society of oncology __ we no longer hear the facts on the benefit of innovation __ to

these facts still resonate in washington, state capitals, and cities, and most importantly, with patients. i would maintain it with patience, it certainly does. they are the beneficiaries now of five_year survival increasing for many types of cancer, that includes __ breast, prostate, and colon cancers. these were thought of as a death sentence, now patients have hope. it was only 40 years ago that we saw cancer deaths increasing by 4.7%. now, in the most recent period, we saw a significant reduction. survival rates have increased

58% since the mid_70's for childhood cancers. childhood cancers. children who died, most often from leukemia. 58% increase. you will see many cancer survivors around the thanksgiving celebrations that you will enjoy it next month. i hope the you give thanks to the innovation and help to save their lives. the commitment that this nation has made to animation, there are now more than 1000 medicines and development for cancer. i would maintain that the right product to the right patient for the right outcome __ saving money as well. as nancy mentioned, we lose sight of the fact that 23 million years of life has been

granted back to cancer patients. $1.9 trillion in an economic perspective has been given back to society. this is a large measure funded by the united states government. with all these positive outcomes, lives saved, and improving care __ the spending on cancer medicines represents less than 1% of overall health care spending. the spending on cancer medicines represents only 20% of cancer treatment. also, if you look at the average __ it is less than medical inflation.

today's insurance also covers a lower percentage. a cancer patient may only faced a 4% out of pocket __ and now faces 20% as relating to pharmaceutical care. just before retiring, my ceo said that the breakthroughs have never been more exciting, get the innovation has never been more challenging. the biotechnology society says that nih funding has certainly gone down __ we know that __ what is not as important is the

project, and the postdocs. where are the venture firms? they are investing in fewer life science companies. funding is down from its peak in 2007. at this point in time, it is hard to see how it will return. decisions to dramatically cut had a chilling effect on investors. companies are working hard to prove the cost benefit. the affordable care act but many need a changes. teaching institutions are facing many difficult trade_offs. in my role, i have the opportunities work in other countries. i would often meet the top

investigators in china, the near east, safaris, portions of europe __ now, 70% of patients are enrolled in clinical trials are coming from other countries. we should welcome the fact that their more citizens of the globe being involved __ however, that type of participation does not represent the diversity of the united states cancer patients were being observed. i also observed that affect of single patient care. as a nation, we're seeing a life_saving, health status improving.

tomorrow, if you go out to look at a new automobile, you would not ask for the technology of the 60's. few of you would ask for an a.m. radio, and iron dashboard, and no seatbelts. you would not ask for new computer based on cobalt, and the systems that i know from college. what we're benefiting from right now are the investments made in the 60's, 70's, and 80's. i __ i ask, are we looking a just good enough system. i encourage everyone to look at the total value of innovation putting the lives and well_being of patients forward. in closing, i ask you to spend time with our constituents who

are involved in cancer innovation as you enjoy the thanksgiving holidays. i would ask you, if you see cancer patients, asked them, what did they hope for. they hope for the ability to see their daughter's wedding, the hope for a full life. and hope to have the care from their physician. cancer researchers, if you see them, asked them if their cancer research has attended 12 year journey. what does this say as our population ages. finally, if you see an oncologist or nurse, ask them what their hopes are for the future.

finally, ask yourself when you look across the table at your family and loved ones, if faced with cancer, wouldn't you want the most personalized care for them to can focus on the survival and not a selloff __ sub optimal system. thank you. >> good morning. thank you, all. thank you for being as well. two years ago i would have never imagined i would be speaking to group like this. two years ago i was lying in a hospital bed. two years ago i just been informed that the tumor in my gut was not operable. two years ago i was preparing to die. let me start at the beginning.

my first awakening with cancer was following a seizure wise eminence the hospital. prior to that, i visited my primary care physician, but that was almost useless. shortly after, i had a craniotomy. when the tumor was surgically removed, it was diagnosed as stage for metastatic cancer. that tissue, however, was consistent with lung tissue. what followed were many many doctors visits and tests. it was determined that i would need to start chemo because they found another mass in my stomach. we would start at the highest dosage. we had to eventually we not done because two devastating on my blood cells.

i never got sick. i never even got nauseous. i'm just a bald, and they scared. i was another victim of the killer cancer. you're herded into an infusion room of like patients. if you look around the infusion room, you see that cancer does not discriminate __ a heads young, old, all ethnic groups. we all sit there patiently in that room while the doctor pumps chemotherapy and her bloodstream. we hope, and trust that the practice will get us through this journey. unfortunately for me, after three rounds of chemotherapy, and actually, a fourth, there was minimal change in the size of my tumor.

i talked with my oncologist and we decided that there would be two other courses that we could follow. we could do surgery or genomic testing. genomic testing was new and may or may not be covered by insurance. so, i opted to go with both. the first one in was the surgery. as i said the beginning, that was not successful. almost simultaneously, and the results came in from the genomic testing. that result told me that i haven't met amplification __ multiple mutations on my tumors dna. i should react positively to a drug. shoortly thereafter i began taking it. that was november 2012. in january, the tumor had

shrunk 60%. it is now completely gone. that is all due to a simple pill. i've tried to be as concise as i can __ cancer is not an easy road to navigate. there are many failures and disappointments along the way. after the genomic testing, the story becomes very short and concise. it is science and nontraditional medicine, it is innovation. i share my story with you today __ certainly not because i enjoyed reliving every minute of it __ it is important for me to the others know about options. i was given opportunity for genomic treatment. through th