PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 521.
Congressional Research Service
Version 80 · Reported to Senate without amendment · Sep 19, 2012
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)
Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act of 2012 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to develop a scientific framework for research on recalcitrant cancers (cancer with a 5-year relative survival rate below 50%), which includes: (1) a review of the status of research, such as a summary of findings, identification of promising scientific advances, a description of the availability of qualified scientific researchers, and the identification of resources available to facilitate research; (2) identification of research questions that have not been adequately addressed; and (3) recommendations for actions to advance research and for appropriate benchmarks to measure progress on achieving such actions. Requires the Director to develop the framework within 18 months and review and update it every 5 years.
Requires the Director to identify within 6 months 2 or more recalcitrant cancers that have a 5-year relative survival rate of less than 20%, and are estimated to cause the death of at least 30,000 individuals in the United States per year. Authorizes the Director to identify additional such cancers and to consider additional metrics of progress (such as incidence and mortality rates) against such cancer.
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Requires the Director to convene a working group for each identified cancer to provide expertise on, and assist in developing, a scientific framework under this Act.
Requires the Director to consider each relevant scientific framework developed under this Act when making recommendations for exception funding for grant applications.
People & committees
Sen. Harkin, Tom [D-IA] · D–IA
Legislative record
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Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 521.
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Original measure reported to Senate by Senator Harkin. Without written report.
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Original measure reported to Senate by Senator Harkin. Without written report.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Dec 5, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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