Great Bend Tribune – On the 40th anniversary of the National Cancer Act, U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Tuesday reaffirmed America’s commitment to battle the disease while the introducing a bipartisan resolution recognizing the nation’s commitment to cancer research.

Moran is the lead Republican sponsor of the resolution, which has numerous Senate co-sponsors and is supported by more than 100 cancer-fighting groups. More than 12 million Americans have survived cancer due in part to the commitment to research and advances in prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment, Moran said in a joint news conference at his Washington office building.

“With passage of the National Cancer Act 40 years ago this month, our nation coordinated a focused effort to combat cancer through research,” Moran said. “Today, the National Cancer Institute and its parent agency, the National Institutes of Health, support critical research across the country, enhancing the work of universities, medical schools, teaching hospitals, private bioscience businesses and research institutions in every state. This national commitment to research has saved millions of lives and billions of dollars.”

With a focus on advocacy and keeping up the fight, Relay for Life of Barton County organizers were buoyed by the news.

“It is a great feeling to know that the people that we elect in Kansas are as committed to ending cancer as we are in Barton County,” said Linn Hogg, local relay advocacy chair. “Not only has Sen. Moran taken a stand on this issue, he is making a statement in Washington, D.C., that cancer research must remain a top priority in the national budget.”

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