|
March 17, 2006
The Honorable Hillary Clinton
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senator Clinton:
As New York-based physicians and investigators on the front
lines of mesothelioma, we are writing to ask for your
leadership to ensure that the disease is included as a
project of emphasis in the Peer Reviewed Medical Research
Program within the fiscal year 2007 Defense Appropriations
bill.
Mesothelioma is a deadly, asbestos-related cancer. We know
you personally have felt its tragedy, and we extend our deep
condolences for the loss of your friend, Eli Segal. We also
commend your tireless efforts to secure federal funding for
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the
monitoring and treatment of the potential health effects
related to 9/11. The heroic first-responders, indeed all
those exposed to the tons of asbestos-containing material
around Ground Zero, are now likely at a real though as yet
unquantified increased risk of developing mesothelioma.
Indeed, the national toll of human suffering mesothelioma
causes is already heavy. In addition to Mr. Segal, the
disease in just the past few years has claimed American
patriots and public servants Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, Jr. and
Congressman Bruce Vento, as well as the beloved
singer/songwriter Warren Zevon. By official counts, which we
believe are low (there is no comprehensive national
registry), the disease claims approximately 3,000 Americans
each year. Most of these had significant occupational
exposure while defending our country, helping to build it, or
working in its factories. Their family members, exposed to
the fibers brought into the home, also suffer a high
incidence. But mesothelioma is an indiscriminate killer. It
can be triggered potentially by just one fiber. Many of our
patients have succumbed based on very small, or even
indefinable exposures which could be common to almost every
American.
Your leadership in the battle against mesothelioma is
particularly appropriate given its strong connection to New
York. In addition to the future threat posed by 9/11, it is
estimated that New York already suffers the third highest
mesothelioma death rate among U.S. states. New York is
arguably the leading state in terms of advancing mesothelioma
research and treatment. Of the handful of centers throughout
the U.S. that have expertise in developing methods for the
early detection and subsequent treatment of mesothelioma,
three of them are located here - New York University,
Memorial Sloan Kettering, and Columbia University. A fourth
New York institution, The Mount Sinai Irving Selikoff Center
for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, is one of the
pioneers of mesothelioma epidemiology.
Unfortunately, federal funding for mesothelioma research has
been almost non-existent in the past, and progress against
this disease has lagged far behind other cancers. And, in
this budgetary environment there are even fewer opportunities
to expand the mesothelioma research efforts through the
National Institutes of Health.
However, the intellectual investment by a few focused centers
is beginning to pay incredible dividends. We and our
collaborators from other centers are convinced that
mesothelioma could be a potentially curable disease if an
infusion of funds were available. Surgical resection,
considered impossible ten years ago, is now commonplace at
specialized centers. Mesothelioma was recently proven, for
the first time, to be vulnerable to chemotherapy. And new
understanding of the molecular basis for mesothelioma has not
only led to the discovery of potentially new early detection
markers, but also is allowing us to pinpoint, and thereby
target therapies to, the genes and pathways that cause the
disease to progress.
The time is right for a federal commitment to mesothelioma
research. Ultimately we believe Congress should establish a
designated mesothelioma research program, as it has for other
diseases. But as an essential first step, we respectfully ask
for your leadership within the U.S. Senate to ensure that
mesothelioma is included in the Peer Reviewed Medical
Research Program for fiscal year 2007 Department of Defense
Appropriations. The directive of the program is to provide
funding opportunities for medical research projects of clear
scientific merit and direct relevance to military health.
Mesothelioma is clearly in the center of this directive, as
approximately 32% of those who die from this devastating
disease are U.S. servicemen exposed to asbestos-containing
materials while serving the U.S. in Navy ships or shipyards.
The connection between mesothelioma and military service
makes it a just and deserving area of research to include in
this program. Placing mesothelioma as a research priority
within the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program of the
Department of Defense ensures that investigators can compete
for funding based on the scientific merit of their research
under the program's $50 million annual budget. This would
be a crucial step forward in combating this deadly cancer for
the sake of our military veterans, those exposed to asbestos
in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, and the millions of New
Yorkers and other states' citizens who are at risk
through their everyday activities and work.
Again, we thank you for your commitment to ensuring that
those impacted by the events of September 11, 2001 receive
the medical care they need. And, we hope that we can count on
you to support federal funding for the mesothelioma research
and medical community. We would be happy to provide
additional background information to you or speak with your
staff further about our request.
Thank you again and we look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Harvey Pass, M.D.
Professor of Surgery and Chief, Division of Thoracic Surgery
and Thoracic Oncology
NYU School of Medicine
|