[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 101 (Tuesday, September 5, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8026-S8027]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 347--DESIGNATING THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 17, 2000, 
 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 23, 2000, AS NATIONAL OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS WEEK

  Ms. LANDRIEU (for herself, Mrs. Feinstein, Mrs. Hutchison, Ms. 
Collins, Mrs. Murray, Mrs. Boxer, Mrs. Lincoln, Ms. Mikulski, and Ms. 
Snowe) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 347

       Whereas 1 out of every 55 women will develop ovarian cancer 
     at some point during her life;
       Whereas over 70 percent of women with ovarian cancer will 
     not be diagnosed until ovarian cancer has spread beyond the 
     ovary;
       Whereas prompt diagnosis of ovarian cancer is crucial to 
     effective treatment, with the chances of curing the disease 
     before it has spread beyond the ovaries ranging from 85 to 90 
     percent, as compared to between 20 and 25 percent after the 
     cancer has spread;
       Whereas several easily identifiable factors, particularly a 
     family history of ovarian cancer, can help determine how 
     susceptible a woman is to developing the disease;
       Whereas effective early testing is available to women who 
     have a high risk of developing ovarian cancer;
       Whereas heightened public awareness can make treatment of 
     ovarian cancer more effective for women who are at-risk; and
       Whereas the Senate, as an institution, and members of 
     Congress, as individuals, are in unique positions to help 
     raise awareness about the need for early diagnosis and 
     treatment for ovarian cancer: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates the week of September 17, 2000, through 
     September 23, 2000, as National Ovarian Cancer Awareness 
     Week; and
       (2) requests that the President issue a proclamation 
     calling upon the people of the United States to observe 
     National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Week with appropriate 
     recognition and activities.

 Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I rise today to speak on an issue 
that should concern us all: that of ovarian cancer. Specifically, I 
rise to introduce a resolution, along with my colleagues Senators 
Lincoln, Mikulski, Feinstein, Murray, Snowe, Hutchison, Collins, and 
Boxer, designating September 17th through September 23d as National 
Ovarian Cancer Week.
  Mr. President, of the more than 25,000 women who were diagnosed with 
ovarian cancer in 1999, about 14,500, a little over half, will die of 
this disease. Think about that for a moment. More than half of our 
grandmothers, our mothers, our sisters and daughters are dying of a 
disease that, if caught earlier, could have been treated. Mr. 
President, I wish this were the only condition in which this was the 
case, but it is not. Like with many other diseases, we need to turn our 
focus to prevention and early detection. Doing so not only means saving 
lives, but millions of tax dollars in the long run.
  In over 70 percent of the women with this disease, it will not be 
discovered until after it has spread beyond the ovaries. This is of 
critical importance, since the recovery rate for these women for whom 
the disease has spread is less than 25 percent. This is compared to an 
85 to 90 percent recovery rate for those in whom the disease is caught 
early. Ovarian cancer is difficult to detect, as the symptoms are often 
vague and mimic other medical problems.
  Still, there are ways that we can reduce the risk of this disease, 
and significantly reduce the mortality rate. For women with a family 
history of ovarian cancer, as well as other women with high-risk 
factors for the disease, regular screenings are available. Although 
these screenings are not for everyone, individuals with a high-risk

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factor, particularly those with one or more family members who have had 
ovarian cancer, should look into these tests.
  Mr. President, this is why it is so important that we raise awareness 
about ovarian cancer, and this is what this resolution tries to do. By 
establishing this special week, we can bring the knowledge of this 
disease to thousands of high-risk women, and give people a better 
chance of beating this dreadful disease.

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