[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 50 (Tuesday, April 1, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E462]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     SUPPORTING THE OBSERVANCE OF COLORECTAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

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                         HON. MICHELE BACHMANN

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 1, 2008

  Mrs. BACHMANN. Madam Speaker, yesterday the House passed with 
unanimity a resolution recognizing March as Colorectal Cancer Awareness 
Month. I was regrettably detained in Minnesota due to the snowstorm 
which blanketed the Midwest. But had I been here, I would have joined 
my colleagues in supporting the resolution to raise awareness of this 
terrible disease.
  While colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death 
in the United States, it is not as well known or frequently discussed 
as many other forms of cancer. Whatever the reason for this relative 
obscurity, we must recognize the fact that both men and women are at 
risk for colorectal cancer and that while most cases occur after age 
50, it can strike at any age. Most important of all, however, when 
detected in its earliest, most treatable stages, colorectal cancer has 
a 90 percent survival rate.
  That being said, in 2000, the Prevent Cancer Foundation partnered 
with champions in Congress to designate and commemorate the very first 
National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Consequently, over the past 
8 years, awareness of the disease has grown. Moreover, the American 
Cancer Society now currently funds 113 colon cancer research grants 
nationwide totaling more than $62.1 million.
  Nonetheless, while strides have been made against colorectal cancer, 
statistics show there is more work to be done. In fact, it is estimated 
that this year in Minnesota, 2,500 people will be diagnosed with 
colorectal cancer and 900 will die from the disease. However, screening 
tests can detect precancerous polyps, which, when removed, can stop 
colon cancer before it starts.
  It is important that Congress support the observance of National 
Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in order to continue the progress 
that has already been made. Through increased awareness and education 
about this disease, a cornerstone of National Colorectal Cancer 
Awareness Month, we can dramatically decrease deaths and limit the 
suffering this disease inflicts on the United States. As Dr. David 
Perdue, of the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health 
stated, ``Bottom line, colorectal screening saves lives.''

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