Causes And Risk Factors Of Lung Cancer

the president: thanks, michael. i appreciateyou joining us. i love coming to the nih, it is an amazing place. it is an amazing placebecause it is full of decent, caring, smart people, all aiming to save lives. and i trulybelieve the nih is one of america's greatest assets. and it needs to be nourished. and i'm real pleased to be working with eliasand the good folks who work here to make sure that there's ample resources to fund theseincredible projects that are taking place. and we'll talk about some of them today. thepurpose of the meeting is to let the american people understand what kind of work takesplace here, and some of the practical applications of the discoveries that are being made. obviously,we're all very concerned about cancer. and,

john, thank you for joining us. first, i'm pleased that we're funding cancerresearch. we're up about 25 percent or 26 percent since 2001; it's a commitment thati made when i first came to washington, it's a commitment we're keeping. and the reasonwhy it makes sense to spend taxpayers' money on cancer research is that we can make somegood progress, and have. interestingly enough, this is the second consecutive year therewas a drop in the number of cancer deaths in the united states. and the drop this yearwas the steepest ever recorded. and the reason i bring that statistic up is that progressis being made. in other words, there are tangible results as a result of the research that takesplace around the country, and a lot of it

focused here at the nih. i had a fantastic experience today with somesmart docs talking about how they can use genetic research, which francis will talkabout, to create cures for a lot of diseases. we particularly focused on kidney cancer today.and i strongly believe that it makes sense for us to progress and take advantage of theresearch that the human genome project has yielded. however, i really want to make it clear tothe congress that i hope they pass legislation that makes genetic discrimination illegal.in other words, if a person is willing to share his or her genetic information, it isimportant that that information not be exploited

in improper ways -- and congress can passgood legislation to prevent that from happening. in other words, we want medical research togo forward without an individual fearing of personal discrimination. finally, i'm real pleased about the announcementmade earlier on the hpv virus -- vaccine. i don't know if our citizens know, but 70percent of all cervical cancer comes from hpv virus. and as a result of good work hereand other places, a vaccine has been developed that the government will dispense to thosewho qualify, all aiming to continue to build on the progress being made in dealing withcancer. and, so, i'm very pleased with the jobs youfolks are doing here. and i'm so grateful

for you all to join us; i'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say. you'll behappy to hear my long-windedness is about to end. (laughter.) but thanks for coming. * * * * * the president: that's good. i wish that peoplecould walk the halls here at the nih and meet the scientists and employees of this fantasticorganization. it is amazing. you talk about young and smart and bright and excited -- withall due respect, docs -- (laughter) -- you've got a lot of really bright people here, whichis another subject for another time. but we better make sure we get the right educationworking to make sure that our scientists are

given the tools and encourage young kids tobecome scientists in the first place, so that these halls remain full of people. becauseas doc said -- he said, if we're not doing it, somebody is going to, and we want it donehere in america. we want -- i mean, we want to welcome scientists here, too. and the other thing that struck me was thatpeople from around the globe that are here working. so, anyway, you're doing a good job.we're spending about $28.6 billion here at the nih, which was doubled from 15 years ago,i think it was, or something like that. thank you. michael. the president: john, first, before you doit -- if you don't mind -- national cancer

institute. tell people what it is, how itworks, if you don't mind. dr. niederhuber: it's a very exciting time in my long career -- whichyou were kind enough to point out to me, sir. the president: well, i wanted the taxpayersto understand we've got a man of expertise here -- (laughter) -- setting you up for success. dr. niederhuber: i've never experienced atime when science has been so exciting and been moving at such a rapid pace. this isjust an unbelievable opportunity. i'm very honored to be here.

the president: thanks for serving. dr. niederhuber: i'm honored to be here, sir. the president: a man who doesn't like allthe initials. (laughter.) the president: thanks for coming. i'm excitedand i appreciate the work being done here in washington, the workbeing done at the grassroots level. i thank you for your articulate presentation, bothof you all. and this government supports what's happeningin order to save lives, and we will.

thanks.