[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 584 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 584

Expressing support for the designation of September 2019 as ``National 
                   Prostate Cancer Awareness Month''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 24, 2019

   Mr. Payne (for himself, Mr. Mullin, and Mr. Meeks) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
  Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing support for the designation of September 2019 as ``National 
                   Prostate Cancer Awareness Month''.

Whereas an estimated 3,110,403 men in the United States live with prostate 
        cancer;
Whereas, according to the National Cancer Institute, the percentage of newly 
        diagnosed prostate cancer cases in men under 65 has significantly 
        increased and stands at 41.9 percent;
Whereas 1 in 9 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 
        second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men in the United 
        States;
Whereas the American Cancer Society estimates that in 2019, 174,650 men will be 
        diagnosed with, and more than 31,620 men will die of, prostate cancer;
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 more than double 
        the prostate cancer mortality rate than that of White men;
Whereas some veterans are at an increased risk of prostate cancer due to 
        chemical or radiation exposure during military service;
Whereas a study conducted at the Portland VA Medical Center and Oregon Health 
        and Science University found that veterans exposed to Agent Orange were 
        at an increased risk for both developing prostate cancer and developing 
        more aggressive forms of the disease;
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 prostate cancer is almost always diagnosed with a needle biopsy where 
        the prostate is mapped and tissue cores removed from at least a dozen 
        sites;
Whereas even with state-of-the-art laboratory techniques and specimen tracking, 
        the peer-reviewed literature reports that as many as 2.5 percent of 
        prostate biopsy patients are affected by biopsy tissue switching or 
        contamination leading to misdiagnosis;
Whereas misdiagnosis can result in inappropriate over- or under-treatment of 
        men;
Whereas only 30 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 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 House of Representatives--
            (1) expresses support for the designation of ``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;
                    (C) support Medicare payment policies that will 
                improve diagnostic accuracy and eliminate prostate 
                cancer misdiagnosis due to biopsy contamination or 
                specimen switching; and
                    (D) to continue to consider ways for improving 
                access to, and eliminating racial disparities in, 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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