[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 42 (Thursday, March 2, 2000)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 11197-11198]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-5207]


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  Federal Register/Vol. 65, No. 42/Thursday, March 2, 2000/Presidential 
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                         Presidential Documents 
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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 11197]]

                Proclamation 7276 of February 29, 2000

                
National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, 2000

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of 
                cancer-related deaths in the United States. Estimates 
                show that physicians will diagnose approximately 
                130,000 new cases of colorectal cancer this year, and, 
                of those persons diagnosed, more than 56,000 will die 
                from the disease. Colorectal cancer takes such a deadly 
                toll because it usually has no identifiable symptoms 
                and often goes undetected until it is too late to 
                treat.

                Our most effective weapon in defeating colorectal 
                cancer is early detection and treatment. Through a 
                regular screening program that includes fecal blood 
                testing, periodic partial or full colon examinations, 
                or both, health professionals can detect and remove 
                pre-cancerous polyps before they turn into cancer. Such 
                cancer screening should become a routine part of 
                preventive health care for anyone over the age of 50, 
                because the risk of developing colorectal cancer 
                increases with age. Individuals with a personal or 
                family history of inflammatory bowel disease, 
                colorectal cancer or polyps, or ovarian, endometrial, 
                or breast cancer are also at a higher risk for 
                developing colorectal cancer.

                We can draw hope from the progress that is being made 
                in colorectal cancer research. The National Cancer 
                Institute of the National Institutes of Health recently 
                launched a large research study to test two of the most 
                promising drugs to treat colorectal cancer, and new 
                technologies are giving us more powerful tools to 
                increase the ease and accuracy of colorectal screening. 
                By continuing to support such research, raising 
                awareness of risk factors for the disease, promoting 
                the widespread adoption of regular screening, and 
                encouraging everyone to exercise regularly, we can save 
                thousands of lives each year and dramatically reduce 
                the risk of colorectal cancer.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim March 2000 as National 
                Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. I encourage health 
                care providers, advocacy groups, policymakers, and 
                concerned citizens across the country to help raise 
                public awareness of the risks and methods of prevention 
                of colorectal cancer and to use the power of our 
                knowledge to defeat this silent disease.

[[Page 11198]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-ninth day of February, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 00-5207
Filed 3-1-00; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P