Congress passed and President Obama approved last month the Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act of 2012, which requires the National Cancer Institute to identify cancers with low survival rates and convene working groups to develop scientific strategies to improve research on those cancers.

Key sponsors of the legislation were Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Leonard Lance (R-NJ), and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).

Under the bill, NCI is required to form working groups to identify promising scientific advances, assess whether sufficient qualified researchers are working in relevant areas, and develop recommendations and plans to coordinate and advance research. NCI is required to update these research frameworks no later than five years after they are released. The institute also is required to report on these activities to Congress.