[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1522 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1522

  Expressing support for designation of the last week of September as 
    National Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Week and the last 
            Wednesday of September as National Previvor Day.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 15, 2010

  Ms. Wasserman Schultz submitted the following resolution; which was 
      referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

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                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing support for designation of the last week of September as 
    National Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Week and the last 
            Wednesday of September as National Previvor Day.

Whereas it is estimated that 750,000 people in the United States carry a gene 
        mutation that causes a predisposition to breast and ovarian cancer;
Whereas approximately 5 to 7 percent of breast cancer and 10 to 14 percent of 
        ovarian cancers are hereditary;
Whereas women with these mutations have up to an 84 percent chance of developing 
        breast cancer in their lifetime;
Whereas women with a BRCA genetic mutation have up to a 50 percent lifetime risk 
        of developing ovarian cancer;
Whereas the single greatest ovarian cancer risk factor is a family history of 
        the disease;
Whereas hereditary cancers are often more aggressive than other cancers and 
        occur at a younger age, when people are less likely to undergo cancer 
        screening;
Whereas breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women under the 
        age of 54;
Whereas ovarian cancer is the leading cause of gynecologic cancer death;
Whereas individuals with a hereditary risk for cancer require different cancer 
        screening and risk management recommendations than the general 
        population;
Whereas inherited BRCA genetic mutations are found in approximately 1 in 40 
        Ashkenazi Jews and mutations have been found in people of every ethnic 
        group;
Whereas more than one-third of Jewish women diagnosed with ovarian cancer or 
        primary peritoneal cancer at any age, or breast cancer before age 40, 
        carry an inherited BRCA mutation;
Whereas African-Americans and Hispanic Americans are less likely to have access 
        to hereditary cancer information and appropriate health care;
Whereas children of parents with an inherited predisposition to breast and 
        ovarian cancer have a 50 percent chance of inheriting the 
        predisposition;
Whereas among many in the cancer community, a ``previvor'' is a survivor of a 
        predisposition (or increased risk) to cancer;
Whereas genetic counseling and genetic testing can determine if an individual is 
        at high risk for breast or ovarian cancer;
Whereas raising awareness of hereditary cancer and knowledge of a genetic 
        predisposition can directly lead to preventive strategies that can 
        reduce the chance of dying from cancer;
Whereas the last week of September would be an appropriate week to designate as 
        National Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Week; and
Whereas the last Wednesday in September would be an appropriate date to 
        designate as National Previvor Day: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the designation of National Hereditary Breast 
        and Ovarian Cancer Week; and
            (2) supports the designation of National Previvor Day.
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