[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 106 (Thursday, August 3, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8859-S8860]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SENATE RESOLUTION 552--DESIGNATING SEPTEMBER 2006 AS ``NATIONAL 
                   PROSTATE CANCER AWARENESS MONTH''

  Mr. SESSIONS (for himself, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Crapo, 
Mr. Grassley, Mr. Inhofe, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Schumer, Mr. 
Shelby, and Mr. Specter) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 552

       Whereas countless families in the United States have a 
     family member that suffers from prostate cancer;
       Whereas 1 in 6 men in the United States is diagnosed with 
     prostate cancer;
       Whereas throughout the past decade, prostate cancer has 
     been the most commonly diagnosed type of cancer other than 
     skin cancer and the second most common cause of cancer-
     related deaths among men in the United States;
       Whereas, in 2006, more than 234,460 men in the United 
     States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and 27,350 men 
     in the United States will die of prostate cancer according to 
     estimates from the American Cancer Society;
       Whereas 30 percent of the new diagnoses of prostate cancer 
     occur in men under the age of 65;
       Whereas a man in the United States turns 50 years old about 
     every 14 seconds, increasing his odds of being diagnosed with 
     prostate cancer;
       Whereas African American males suffer from prostate cancer 
     at an incidence rate up to 65 percent higher than white males 
     and at a mortality rate double that of white males;
       Whereas obesity is a significant predictor of the severity 
     of prostate cancer and the chance that the disease will lead 
     to death;

[[Page S8860]]

       Whereas if a man in the United States has 1 family member 
     diagnosed with prostate cancer, he has double the risk of 
     prostate cancer, if he has 2 family members with such 
     diagnosis, he has 5 times the risk, and if he has 3 family 
     members with such diagnosis, he has a 97 percent risk of 
     prostate cancer;
       Whereas screening by both a digital rectal examination 
     (DRE) and a prostate specific antigen blood test (PSA) can 
     detect prostate cancer in earlier and more treatable stages 
     and reduce the rate of mortality due to the disease;
       Whereas ongoing research promises further improvements in 
     prostate cancer prevention, early detection, and treatments; 
     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 our families: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates September 2006 as ``National Prostate Cancer 
     Awareness Month'';
       (2) declares that it is critical--
       (A) to raise awareness about the importance of screening 
     methods and the treatment of prostate cancer;
       (B) to increase research funding to be proportionate with 
     the burden of prostate cancer so that the causes of the 
     disease, improved screening and treatments, and ultimately a 
     cure may be discovered; and
       (C) to continue to consider methods to improve both 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, interested 
     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, their 
     families, and the economy; and
       (C) to observe National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month 
     with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

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