Velázquez Reintroduces Legislation to Support Liver Cancer Research and Prevention
Washington D.C.— Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) reintroduced the Liver Illness Visibility, Education, and Research (LIVER) Act of 2024 which would increase federal assistance to study, prevent, and treat liver cancer.
"Like so many other types of cancer, liver cancer becomes much more treatable when it is detected early,” said Congresswoman Velázquez. "Sadly, too many in our community have lost someone due to liver cancer or are struggling themselves to fight this disease with little to no support. I am so proud to introduce this legislation, which gives our local hospitals and community health centers federal funds to study liver cancer and offer better access to preventative and primary cancer services.”
Since liver cancer is rarely detected early, it has a high mortality rate. In 2018, approximately 31,000 died from the disease. The five-year survival rate of 21 percent makes liver cancer one of the deadliest forms of cancer, and though the overall cancer death rate has decreased recently, the liver cancer death rate is on the rise. Additionally, liver cancer kills three times as many Americans as skin cancer but receives about half of the research dollars at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Unfortunately, research, prevention, and awareness initiatives remain underfunded and deprioritized at the federal level relative to other major cancers.
The LIVER Act of 2023 directs NCI to initiate the process for creating a Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) for primary liver cancer and makes hospitals and healthcare facilities eligible to receive funding for experimental treatment and prevention programs. Additionally, it creates two new grant programs at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC): one for liver cancer prevention activities (including screenings, vaccinations, and treatments) and another for awareness activities, including the distribution of public informational materials targeted toward Americans in communities at a higher risk for liver illnesses.
The bill also elevates the necessity of funds towards combatting liver cancer & illnesses by creating a Liver Disease Division within National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), establishing an inter-institute working group to coordinate research efforts, and directing the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and NIDDK to issue targeted calls for research proposals.
The LIVER Act is cosponsored by: Reps. Jackson Lee (D-TX), Grijalva (D-AZ), and Hank Johnson (D-GA).
“With rising rates of liver cancer, fatty liver disease and new opportunities to prevent and treat viral hepatitis, the time is now for Congress to Act,” said Donna R. Cryer, Founder and CEO of the Global Liver Institute and 29-year liver transplant recipient. “Through Rep. Velazquez’s leadership, and her reintroduction of the LIVER Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, we can move the field forward and shift the conversation to shine a spotlight on liver cancer and liver health disparities.”
“In the U.S., Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Black communities continue to see egregiously high rates of deaths due to hepatitis-B related liver cancer. Far too many people are dying from preventable liver-related diseases simply because they are unaware of their infection, or of how to prevent it. The LIVER Act is necessary to advance critical education, research, and prevention tools for underlying causes of liver cancer, such as hepatitis B, and to promote health equity.”-Chari Cohen, DrPH, MPH, President, Hepatitis B Foundation
For a copy of the bill, click here.