[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1114 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1114

Supporting the observance of Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 25, 2010

    Ms. Granger (for herself and Mr. Boren) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Supporting the observance of Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and for 
                            other purposes.

Whereas colorectal cancer is third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second 
        most common cause of cancer deaths for men and women in the United 
        States;
Whereas colorectal cancer affects men and women equally;
Whereas the lifetime risk of being diagnosed with cancer of the colon or rectum 
        is 5.5 percent for men and 5.1 percent for women in the United States;
Whereas nearly 147,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with colon 
        cancer this year;
Whereas every 3.7 minutes, someone is diagnosed with colorectal cancer and every 
        10 minutes someone dies from colorectal cancer;
Whereas nearly 50,000 people in the United States will die from colon cancer 
        this year;
Whereas the vast majority of colon cancer deaths can be prevented through proper 
        screening and early detection;
Whereas every 5 seconds someone who should be screened for colorectal cancer is 
        not;
Whereas the survival rate of individuals who have colorectal cancer is 90 
        percent when detected in the early stages versus only a 10 percent 
        survival rate when colorectal cancer is diagnosed after it has spread to 
        distant organs;
Whereas only 39 percent of colorectal cancer patients have their cancers 
        detected at an early stage;
Whereas regular colorectal cancer screening has been ranked as one of the most 
        cost effective screening interventions available, with the potential to 
        save 40,000 lives a year;
Whereas if the majority of people in the United States age 50 or older were 
        screened regularly for colorectal cancer, the death rate from this 
        disease could plummet by up to 80 percent;
Whereas treatment costs for colorectal cancer are extremely high, estimated at 
        over $8,400,000,000 per year;
Whereas, among African-Americans, incidence rates are more than 20 percent 
        higher and mortality rates are about 45 percent higher than rates in 
        Whites;
Whereas, African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, American 
        Indians, and Alaskan Natives are significantly less likely to be 
        screened for colorectal cancer compared to Whites;
Whereas increasing the number of people between the ages of 50 years and 64 
        years of age who are regularly screened in the United States, would 
        provide significant savings in tens of billions of dollars to the 
        Medicare program from cancer prevention and treatment costs;
Whereas colorectal cancer is preventable, treatable, and beatable in most cases;
Whereas the Prevent Cancer Foundation launched the National Colorectal Cancer 
        Awareness Month partnership in 1999 to raise awareness about colorectal 
        cancer and how to prevent the disease through screening;
Whereas the Blue Star, developed by the Members of the National Colorectal 
        Cancer Roundtable, the American Cancer Society, the C3: Colorectal 
        Cancer Coalition, and the Colon Cancer Alliance represents the 
        collective fight against colon cancer, the eternal memory of the people 
        whose lives have already been lost to the disease, and the shining hope 
        for a future free of colon cancer;
Whereas greater awareness of this cancer and the means to prevent it could save 
        the lives of tens of thousands of people in the United States each year; 
        and
Whereas observing a Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month during the month of March 
        would provide a special opportunity to offer education on the importance 
        of early detection and screening: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the observance of Colorectal Cancer Awareness 
        Month in order to provide a special opportunity to offer 
        education on the importance of early detection and screening;
            (2) recognizes and applauds the national and community 
        organizations for their work in promoting awareness about 
        colorectal cancer, providing information on the importance of 
        prevention and early detection through regular screening, and 
        facilitating access to treatment for its sufferers; and
            (3) urges organizations and health practitioners to ``earn 
        a Blue Star'' by using this opportunity to promote awareness 
        about colorectal cancer and to support early identification and 
        removal of pre-cancerous polyps, detectable only through 
        colorectal cancer screenings.
                                 <all>