[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 578 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 578

Recognizing that the occurrence of prostate cancer in African American 
  men has reached epidemic proportions and urging Federal agencies to 
    address that health crisis by designating funds for education, 
   awareness outreach, and research specifically focused on how that 
                 disease affects African American men.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 21, 2006

Mr. Kerry submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
          Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing that the occurrence of prostate cancer in African American 
  men has reached epidemic proportions and urging Federal agencies to 
    address that health crisis by designating funds for education, 
   awareness outreach, and research specifically focused on how that 
                 disease affects African American men.

Whereas the incidence of prostate cancer in African American men is 60 percent 
        higher than any other racial or ethnic group in the United States;
Whereas African American men have the highest mortality rate of any ethnic and 
        racial group in the United States, dying at a rate that is 140 percent 
        higher than other ethnic and racial groups;
Whereas that rate of mortality represents the largest disparity of mortality 
        rates in any of the major cancers;
Whereas prostate cancer can be cured with early detection and the proper 
        treatment, regardless of the ethnic or racial group of the cancer 
        patient;
Whereas African Americans are more likely to be diagnosed earlier in age and at 
        a later stage of cancer progression than for all other ethnic and racial 
        groups, thereby leading to lower cure rates and lower chances of 
        survival; and
Whereas, according to a recent paper published in the Proceedings of the 
        National Academy of Sciences, researchers from the Dana Farber Cancer 
        Institute and Harvard Medical School have discovered a variant of a 
        small segment of the human genome that accounts for the higher risk of 
        prostate cancer in African American men: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes that prostate cancer has created a health 
        crisis for African American men; and
            (2) declares the critical importance of the designation of 
        increased funding for--
                    (A) research to address and attempt to end the 
                health crisis created by prostate cancer; and
                    (B) efforts relating to education, awareness, and 
                early detection at the grassroots levels to end that 
                health crisis.
                                 <all>