S. 2720Senate117th Congress (2021-2023)In Committee

Veterans’ Prostate Cancer Treatment and Research Act

AI-Generated Summary

Updated February 8, 2026 at 6:37 AM UTC

The bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to create a nationwide clinical pathway for prostate cancer care, covering everything from early screening to end‑of‑life treatment. It aims to improve detection, treatment, and research for veterans, especially those at higher risk because of service‑related exposures.

Key Provisions

Within one year, the VA Secretary must develop an interdisciplinary clinical pathway that outlines diagnosis, treatment, and end‑of‑life care for all stages of prostate cancer, using national oncology standards and including both VA and community providers.
The pathway must be published online, updated at least annually, and incorporate feedback from veterans and cancer‑care experts.
Within 180 days, the Secretary must submit a plan for a comprehensive prostate‑cancer program that includes oversight, yearly evaluations, biannual quality reports, and education for patients and providers.
The program must set up a metric‑driven evaluation tool and ensure funding for ongoing prostate‑cancer research, linking VA precision‑oncology efforts with external centers of excellence.
The Secretary must report to Congress on creating a national prostate‑cancer registry and recommend ways to centralize data to improve outcomes.

Legislative Activity

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3 earlier actions

SenateCommittee Latest Action

Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.

Veterans' Affairs Committee

December 15, 2021

View full timeline

SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

September 13, 2021

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Veterans' Affairs Committee

September 13, 2021

SenateCommittee

Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held.

Veterans' Affairs Committee

October 20, 2021

SenateCommittee

Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.

Veterans' Affairs Committee

December 15, 2021

Floor Debate

1 member

What members said about S. 2720 on the floor

1 Republican

Sen. Jerry MoranR-KS · Dec 7, 2022

Mr. President, today I want to recognize and pay tribute to a remarkable Kansan: retired U.S. Army COL Paul Taylor of Overland Park. Paul was recently awarded ZERO's 2022 Prostate Cancer Veterans…

Mr. President, today I want to recognize and pay tribute to a remarkable Kansan: retired U.S. Army COL Paul Taylor of Overland Park. Paul was recently awarded ZERO's 2022 Prostate Cancer Veterans Advocacy Award for his leadership in improving prostate cancer outcomes for veterans impacted by this disease.

Paul was first diagnosed with stage IV prostate cancer in 2012 at the age of 41 while preparing for deployment to Afghanistan. As is too often the case, he did not experience any notable symptoms warning of the disease. It was a routine predeployment medical screening that saved his life.

Unfortunately, Paul's story is not rare. With nearly 489,000 patients suffering from prostate cancer, this is one of the most common cancer diagnoses among American veterans. In fact, one in five veterans will develop prostate cancer in his lifetime.

With the support and encouragement of his superiors, Paul retained his command of 700 soldiers throughout his medical treatment consisting of hormone therapy, chemotherapy and surgery. He later retired from the Army and continued to serve his country in emergency management roles throughout regional and national crises.

Paul's cancer is now under control with treatment and is closely monitored. He credits his family and patient support groups for their care and encouragement throughout his cancer journey. They have been meaningful sources of emotional support and mentorship as he underwent treatment for the disease.

For those facing similar health challenges, he encourages them to find a community to offer support and hope throughout the journey. He embodied this principle himself by choosing to sacrifice his own time and talents to help those facing prostate cancer.

Even as Paul battled this terrible disease himself, he dedicated his life to fighting prostate cancer through volunteer leadership to help all who suffer from this disease--but especially veterans.

Today, Paul lives in Overland Park, KS, with his wife Amy and three daughters. He is an active and dedicated advocate for veterans who suffer from prostate cancer.

His efforts have been instrumental in the progress of S. 2720, the Veterans' Prostate Cancer Treatment and Research Act. This legislation creates a clinical pathway for prostate cancer in the Department of Veterans Affairs and helps thousands of veterans manage their prostate cancer treatment process.

On behalf of the U.S. Senate, it is my honor to recognize Paul Taylor for his courage, sacrifice, and determination as he now offers hope and support to the nearly 3.1 million men living with prostate cancer in the United States.

Bill Text

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Introduced in SenateIssued September 13, 2021

117th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 2720

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

September 13, 2021

Mr. Moran (for himself and Mr. Tester) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

A BILL

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a national clinical pathway for prostate cancer, and for other purposes.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Veterans’ Prostate Cancer Treatment and Research Act.

Findings

Congress makes the following findings:

(1)

Prostate cancer is the number one cancer diagnosed in the Veterans Health Administration.

(2)

A 1996 report published by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine established a link between prostate cancer and exposure to herbicides, such as Agent Orange.

(3)

It is essential to acknowledge that due to these circumstances, certain veterans are made aware that they are high-risk individuals when it comes to the potential to develop prostate cancer.

(4)

In being designated as high risk, it is essential that veterans are proactive in seeking earlier preventative clinical services for the early detection and successful treatment of prostate cancer, whether that be through the Veterans Health Administration or through a community provider.

(5)

Clinical preventative services and initial detection are some of the most important components in the early detection of prostate cancer for veterans at high risk of prostate cancer.

(6)

For veterans with prostate cancer, including prostate cancer that has metastasized, precision oncology, including biomarker-driven clinical trials and innovations underway through the Prostate Cancer Foundation and Department of Veterans Affairs partnership, represents one of the most promising areas of interventions, treatments, and cures for such veterans and their families.

Department of Veterans Affairs treatment and research of prostate cancer

(a)

Establishment of clinical pathway

(1)

In general

Not later than 365 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish an interdisciplinary clinical pathway for all stages of prostate cancer, from early detection to end of life care. The clinical pathway shall be established in the National Surgery Office of the Department of Veterans Affairs in close collaboration with the National Program Office of Oncology, the Office of Research and Development, and other relevant entities of the Department, including Primary Care.

(2)

Elements

The national clinical pathway established under this subsection shall include the following elements:

(A)

A diagnosis pathway for prostate cancer that includes early screening and diagnosis protocol, including screening recommendations for veterans with evidence-based risk factors.

(B)

A treatment pathway that details the respective roles of each office of the Department that will interact with veterans receiving prostate cancer care, including treatment protocol recommendations for veterans with evidence-based risk factors.

(C)

Treatment recommendations for all stages of prostate cancer that reflect nationally recognized standards for oncology, including National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines.

(D)

A suggested protocol timeframe for each point of care, from early screening to treatment and end-of-life care, based on severity and stage of cancer.

(E)

A plan that includes, as appropriate, both Department medical facilities and community-based partners and providers and research centers specializing in prostate cancer, especially such centers that have entered into partnerships with the Department.

(3)

Collaboration and coordination

In establishing the clinical pathway required under this section, the Secretary may collaborate and coordinate with—

(A)

the National Institutes of Health;

(B)

the National Cancer Institute;

(C)

the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities;

(D)

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;

(E)

the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services;

(F)

the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute;

(G)

the Food and Drug Administration;

(H)

the Department of Defense; and

(I)

other Institutes and Centers as the Secretary determines necessary.

(4)

Consultation requirement

In establishing the clinical pathway required under this section, the Secretary shall consult with, and incorporate feedback from, veterans who have received prostate cancer care at Department medical facilities as well as experts in multi-disciplinary cancer care and clinical research.

(5)

Publication

The Secretary shall—

(A)

publish the clinical pathway established under this subsection on a publicly available Department website; and

(B)

update the clinical pathway as needed by review of the medical literature and available evidence-based guidelines at least annually, in accordance with the criteria under paragraph (2).

(b)

Development of Comprehensive Prostate Cancer Program and Implementation of the Prostate Cancer Clinical Pathway

(1)

Establishment

Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a plan to establish a prostate cancer program using the comprehensive prostate cancer clinical pathway developed under subsection (a).

(2)

Program requirements

The comprehensive prostate cancer program shall—

(A)

receive direct oversight from the Deputy Undersecretary for Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs;

(B)

include a yearly program implementation evaluation to facilitate replication for other disease states or in other healthcare institutions;

(C)

be metric driven and include the development of biannual reports on the quality of prostate cancer care, which shall be provided to the leadership of the Department, medical centers, and providers and made publicly available in an electronic form; and

(D)

include an education plan for patients and providers.

(3)

Program implementation evaluation

The Secretary shall establish a program evaluation tool to learn best practices and to inform the Department and Congress regarding further use of the disease specific model of care delivery.

(4)

Prostate cancer research

The Secretary shall submit to Congress a plan that provides for continual funding through the Office of Research and Development of the Department of Veterans for supporting prostate cancer research designed to position the Department as a national resource for prostate cancer detection and treatment. Such plan shall—

(A)

include details regarding the funding of and coordination between the National Precision Oncology Program of the Department and the PCF–VA Precision Oncology Centers of Excellence as related to the requirements of this Act; and

(B)

affirm that no funding included in such funding plan is duplicative in nature.

(c)

Report on national registry

The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress a report on the barriers and challenges associated with creating a national prostate cancer registry. Such report shall include recommendations for centralizing data about veterans with prostate cancer for the purpose of improving outcomes and serving as a resource for providers.

(d)

Definitions

In this section:

(1)

The term clinical pathway means a health care management tool designed around research and evidence-backed practices that provides direction for the clinical care and treatment of a specific episode of a condition or ailment.

(2)

The term evidence-based risk factors includes race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geographic location, exposure risks, genetic risks, including family history, and such other factors as the Secretary determines appropriate.