[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 269 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 269

  Designating September 2017 as ``National Prostate Cancer Awareness 
                                Month''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 27, 2017

Mr. Schumer (for Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Markey, Mrs. 
Feinstein, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Booker, Mr. Blunt, and Mr. Coons)) submitted 
      the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Designating September 2017 as ``National Prostate Cancer Awareness 
                                Month''.

Whereas over 2,900,000 families in the United States live with prostate cancer;
Whereas 1 in 7 men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer 
        in their lifetimes;
Whereas prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed nonskin cancer and the 
        third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men in the United 
        States;
Whereas the American Cancer Society estimates that in 2017, 161,360 men will be 
        diagnosed with, and more than 26,730 men will die of, prostate cancer;
Whereas 43 percent of newly diagnosed prostate cancer cases occur in men under 
        the age of 65;
Whereas the odds of developing prostate cancer rise rapidly after age 50;
Whereas African-American men suffer from a prostate cancer incidence rate that 
        is significantly higher than that of White men and have double the 
        prostate cancer mortality rate than that of White men;
Whereas having a father or brother with prostate cancer more than doubles the 
        risk of a man developing prostate cancer, with a higher risk for men who 
        have a brother with the disease and the highest risk for men with 
        several affected relatives;
Whereas screening by a digital rectal examination and a prostate-specific 
        antigen blood test can detect the disease at the earlier, more treatable 
        stages, which could increase the chances of survival for more than 5 
        years to nearly 100 percent;
Whereas only 29 percent of men survive more than 5 years if diagnosed with 
        prostate cancer after the cancer has metastasized;
Whereas there are no noticeable symptoms of prostate cancer in the early stages, 
        making appropriate screening critical;
Whereas, in fiscal year 2017, the Director of the National Institutes of Health 
        supported approximately $274,000,000 in research projects focused 
        specifically on prostate cancer;
Whereas ongoing research promises further improvements in prostate cancer 
        prevention, early detection, and treatment; and
Whereas educating people in the United States, including health care providers, 
        about prostate cancer and early detection strategies is crucial to 
        saving the lives of men and preserving and protecting families: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates September 2017 as ``National Prostate Cancer 
        Awareness Month'';
            (2) declares that steps should be taken--
                    (A) to raise awareness about the importance of 
                screening methods for, and treatment of, prostate 
                cancer;
                    (B) to encourage research--
                            (i) to improve screening and treatment for 
                        prostate cancer;
                            (ii) to discover the causes of prostate 
                        cancer; and
                            (iii) to develop a cure for prostate 
                        cancer; and
                    (C) to continue to consider ways to improve access 
                to, and the quality of, health care services for 
                detecting and treating prostate cancer; and
            (3) calls on the people of the United States, interest 
        groups, and affected persons--
                    (A) to promote awareness of prostate cancer;
                    (B) to take an active role in the fight to end the 
                devastating effects of prostate cancer on individuals, 
                families, and the economy; and
                    (C) to observe National Prostate Cancer Awareness 
                Month with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
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