[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 521 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 521

 Expressing support for the designation of September 2016 as National 
                    Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              July 7, 2016

Ms. Ayotte (for herself, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Brown, Mr. Burr, Mr. Coons, 
Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Peters, and Mr. Rubio) submitted the 
   following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
                               Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing support for the designation of September 2016 as National 
                    Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

Whereas ovarian cancer is the deadliest of all gynecologic cancers;
Whereas ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths among women 
        in the United States;
Whereas in 2016, approximately 22,280 new cases of ovarian cancer will be 
        diagnosed, and 14,240 women will die of ovarian cancer in the United 
        States;
Whereas the mortality rate for ovarian cancer has not significantly decreased 
        since the ``War on Cancer'' was declared more than 40 years ago;
Whereas a quarter of women will die within 1 year of diagnosis with ovarian 
        cancer and over half will die within 5 years;
Whereas there is the mammogram to detect breast cancer and the Pap smear to 
        detect cervical cancer, there is currently no reliable early detection 
        test for ovarian cancer;
Whereas the lack of an early detection test means that approximately 80 percent 
        of cases of ovarian cancer are detected at an advanced stage;
Whereas all women are at risk for ovarian cancer, and approximately 20 percent 
        of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer have a hereditary disposition for 
        ovarian cancer, which places them at even a higher risk;
Whereas scientists and physicians have uncovered changes in the BRCA genes that 
        some women inherit from their parents, which may make them 30 times more 
        likely to develop ovarian cancer;
Whereas the family history of a woman has been found to play an important role 
        in accurately assessing her risk of developing ovarian cancer and 
        medical experts believe the family history of a woman should be taken 
        into consideration during her annual well-woman visit;
Whereas many experts in health prevention now recommend genetic testing for 
        young women with a family history of breast and ovarian cancer;
Whereas women who know they are at high risk of breast and ovarian cancer may 
        undertake prophylactic measures to help reduce the risk of developing 
        these diseases;
Whereas the Society of Gynecologic Oncology now recommends that all women 
        diagnosed with ovarian cancer receive counseling and genetic testing;
Whereas many people are unaware that the symptoms of ovarian cancer often 
        include bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling 
        full quickly, urinary symptoms, and several other symptoms that are 
        easily confused with other diseases;
Whereas awareness of the symptoms of ovarian cancer by women and health care 
        providers can lead to a quicker diagnosis;
Whereas in June 2007, the first national consensus statement on ovarian cancer 
        symptoms was developed to provide consistency in describing symptoms to 
        make it easier for women to learn and remember the symptoms;
Whereas each year during the month of September, the Ovarian Cancer Research 
        Fund Alliance and the partner members hold a number of events to 
        increase public awareness of ovarian cancer; and
Whereas September 2016 should be designated as ``National Ovarian Cancer 
        Awareness Month'' to increase public awareness of ovarian cancer: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates September 2016 as ``National Ovarian Cancer 
        Awareness Month''; and
            (2) supports the goals and ideals of National Ovarian 
        Cancer Awareness Month.
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