# Plain Language Summary: Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Research and Education Act of 2023

This bill directs the federal government to focus more attention and resources on triple-negative breast cancer, a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer that doesn't respond to common hormone-based treatments. The bill recognizes that this type of cancer disproportionately affects African-American and Hispanic women—African-American women are three times more likely to develop it than white women—and that it tends to grow and spread faster than other breast cancers. Because these tumors lack certain receptors that doctors typically target with medication, early detection becomes critically important for survival, yet there's currently limited research and public awareness about this specific cancer type.

The bill creates three main initiatives to address this gap. First, it funds research through the National Institutes of Health to better understand triple-negative breast cancer, including how often it occurs in different communities, what it costs to treat, and how it might be prevented or cured. The government will spend $500,000 per year from 2024 through 2026 on this research effort. Second, the bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to launch a public education campaign about triple-negative breast cancer, explaining who's at highest risk and what treatment options exist. Third, it directs the Health Resources and Services Administration to keep doctors and healthcare providers updated with current information about the disease so they can better recognize and treat it.

For most people, this bill won't have an immediate direct effect on their daily lives. However, if you're a woman—particularly an African-American or Hispanic woman—this bill could eventually improve your chances of surviving triple-negative breast cancer by funding better research, increasing awareness among doctors and patients, and ensuring earlier detection. The bill essentially acknowledges that this cancer has been understudied and underrecognized, and commits federal resources to fix that problem over the next few years.

Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Research and Education Act of 2023

Jackson Lee, Sheila

Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Research and Education Act of 2023 This bill requires research and education activities related to triple-negative breast cancer. The cells of these breast cancers are negative for estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and excess HER2 protein, so they do not respond to hormonal therapy medicines or medicines that target the HER2 protein receptors. Specifically, the National Institutes of Health must conduct and support research into the disease. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Health Resources and Services Administration must develop information about triple-negative breast cancer, including information regarding the elevated risk for minority women, for the public and for health care providers.