[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 418 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 418

  Designating September 2004 as ``National Prostate Cancer Awareness 
                                Month''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 22, 2004

     Mr. Sessions (for himself, Mr. Reid, Mr. Allen, Mr. Bayh, Mr. 
   Brownback, Mr. Bunning, Mr. Burns, Mr. Campbell, Mr. Corzine, Mr. 
 Crapo, Mr. Dayton, Mr.  Dodd, Mr. Feingold, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Inouye, 
 Mr. Johnson, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Miller, Mr. 
 Nelson of Florida, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. Shelby, and Mr. Wyden) submitted 
      the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Designating September 2004 as ``National Prostate Cancer Awareness 
                                Month''.

Whereas countless families in the United States live with prostate cancer;
Whereas 1 in 6 men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer 
        in his lifetime;
Whereas over the past decade, prostate cancer has been the most commonly 
        diagnosed non-skin cancer and the second most common cancer killer of 
        men in the United States;
Whereas over 230,000 men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate 
        cancer and 29,900 men in the United States will die of prostate cancer 
        in 2004, according to American Cancer Society estimates;
Whereas 30 percent of new cases occur in men under the age of 65;
Whereas a man in the United States turns 50 years old about every 14 seconds, 
        increasing the occurrence of cancer and, particularly, of prostate 
        cancer;
Whereas African-American males suffer a prostate cancer incidence rate as much 
        as 60 percent higher than White males and have double the mortality 
        rates;
Whereas obesity is a significant predictor of prostate cancer severity and 
        death;
Whereas if a man in the United States has 1 family member diagnosed with 
        prostate cancer, he has double the risk of prostate cancer, if he has 2 
        family members with such diagnosis, he has 5 times the risk, and if he 
        has 3 family members with such diagnosis, he has a 97-percent risk of 
        prostate cancer;
Whereas screening by both digital rectal examination and prostate specific 
        antigen blood test can diagnose the disease in earlier and more 
        treatable stages and reduce prostate cancer mortality;
Whereas ongoing research promises to further improvements in prostate cancer 
        prevention, early detection, and treatments; and
Whereas educating people in the United States, including health care providers, 
        about prostate cancer and early detection strategies is crucial to 
        saving men's lives and preserving and protecting families: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates September 2004 as ``National Prostate Cancer 
        Awareness Month'';
            (2) declares that the Federal Government has a 
        responsibility to--
                    (A) raise awareness about the importance of 
                screening methods and treatment of prostate cancer;
                    (B) increase research funding that is commensurate 
                with the burden of the disease so that the causes of 
                prostate cancer, and improved screening, treatments, 
                and a cure for prostate cancer, may be discovered; and
                    (C) continue to consider ways for improving the 
                access to, and quality of, health care services for 
                detecting and treating prostate cancer; and
            (3) requests that the President issue a proclamation 
        calling on the people of the United States, interested groups, 
        and affected persons to--
                    (A) promote awareness of prostate cancer;
                    (B) take an active role in the fight to end the 
                devastating affects of prostate cancer on individuals, 
                their families, and the economy; and
                    (C) observe the month of September 2004 with 
                appropriate ceremonies and activities.
                                 <all>