Chair of special commission says legislation is vital to improve detection and outcomes for pancreatic cancer

Brock Cordero, chair of the Special Legislative Commission to Study Pancreatic Cancer, told the Joint Committee on Public Health that House Bill 24‑32 and Senate Bill 14‑84 would implement the commission’s recommendations to reduce incidence and death from pancreatic cancer.

The commission and the bills: Cordero described the group’s work, noting it first convened in February 2019 and submitted a final report in October (year stated in testimony). He said the commission included 15 members with diverse qualifications and that the legislation would implement the commission’s final recommendations, chief among them a public‑education campaign to promote earlier detection.

Disease burden and urgency: “Pancreatic cancer has a stagnant five‑year survival rate of only 13 percent,” Cordero said, citing national and state statistics. He added that over 70 percent of patients die within the first year of diagnosis and that early detection could improve outcomes. Cordero said the bills have broad legislative cosponsorship and urged favorable action.

Personal note in testimony: Cordero described his personal connection to the issue, noting his father was diagnosed in 2013 and died in 2014, and asked the committee to act urgently on the commission’s recommendations.

Committee response: Committee members acknowledged the disease’s high mortality rate and expressed appreciation for the commission’s work; no formal vote was taken at the hearing.