The most commonly diagnosed cancer at VA hospitals
nationwide is prostate cancer. Two members of Congress have introduced a bill
aimed at helping care for those veterans.
More than 489,000 veterans are currently undergoing
treatment at Department of Veterans Affairs facilities for prostate cancer.
It's also more common among black veterans and among veterans exposed to
toxins, such as Agent Orange.
On Thursday, Reps. Joe Cunningham, D-S.C., and Neal Dunn,
R-Fla., introduced the Veterans Prostate Cancer Treatment and Research Act.
The bipartisan bill creates a national clinical pathway for
prostate cancer, a standardized system of treatment for veterans and
establishes a real-time registry to track patients' progress. Standardizing
treatment will improve care for veterans and the registry could help patients
get better access to "cutting-edge clinical trials," the congressmen
said.
“After everything our veterans experience while serving, the
last thing they should be faced with is yet another enemy – prostate cancer,”
Dunn said in a statement. “The key to overcoming prostate cancer is early
detection. Veterans deserve a system that streamlines the pathway from early
detection to successful treatment. This bill is a solid first step forward to
save fellow veterans' lives and defeat this deadly adversary.”
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