[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 132 (Friday, September 7, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S11279]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                NATIONAL PROSTATE CANCER AWARENESS WEEK

  The resolution (S. Res. 288) designating September 2007 as ``National 
Prostate Cancer Awareness Month,'' was considered and agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 288

       Whereas countless families in the United States live with 
     prostate cancer;
       Whereas 1 in 6 men in the United States will be diagnosed 
     with prostate cancer in his lifetime;
       Whereas over the past decade, prostate cancer has been the 
     most commonly diagnosed non-skin cancer and the second most 
     common cause of cancer-related deaths among men in the United 
     States;
       Whereas, in 2007, according to estimates from the American 
     Cancer Society, over 218,890 men in the United States will be 
     diagnosed with prostate cancer and 27,050 men in the United 
     States will die of prostate cancer;
       Whereas 30 percent of 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 developing cancer, 
     including prostate cancer;
       Whereas African-American males suffer a prostate cancer 
     incidence rate up to 65 percent higher than White males and 
     double the mortality rates;
       Whereas obesity is a significant predictor of the severity 
     of prostate cancer and the probability that the disease will 
     lead to death;
       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 
     diagnoses, he has 5 times the risk, and if he has 3 family 
     members with such diagnoses, he then 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 
     diagnose the disease in earlier and more treatable stages and 
     reduce prostate cancer mortality;
       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 families: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates September 2007 as ``National Prostate Cancer 
     Awareness Month'';
       (2) declares that the Federal Government has a 
     responsibility--
       (A) to raise awareness about the importance of screening 
     methods for, and treatment of, prostate cancer;
       (B) to increase research funding that is commensurate with 
     the burden of the disease so that the screening and treatment 
     of prostate cancer may be improved, and so that the causes 
     of, and a cure for, prostate cancer may be discovered; and
       (C) to continue to consider ways for improving access to, 
     and the quality of, health care services for detecting and 
     treating prostate cancer; and
       (3) requests the President to issue a proclamation calling 
     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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