[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 669 Engrossed in House (EH)]
In the House of Representatives, U.S.,
June 14, 2004.
Whereas, in 2004, it is estimated that approximately 230,000 new cases of
prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States, and nearly
30,000 men in the United States will die from prostate cancer;
Whereas prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men in
the United States;
Whereas over $4,700,000,000 is spent annually in the United States in direct
treatment costs for prostate cancer;
Whereas African American men are diagnosed with and die from prostate cancer
more frequently than men of other ethnic backgrounds;
Whereas increased education among health care providers and patients regarding
the need for prostate cancer screening tests has resulted in the
diagnosis of approximately 86 percent of prostate cancer patients before
the cancerous cells have spread appreciably beyond the prostate gland,
thereby enhancing the odds of successful treatment;
Whereas the potential complication rates for significant side effects vary among
the most common forms of treatment for prostate cancer;
Whereas prostate cancer often strikes elderly people in the United States,
highlighting the importance of balancing the potential benefits and
risks of various treatments on an individual basis; and
Whereas Congress as a whole, and Members of Congress as individuals, are in
unique positions to support the fight against prostate cancer, to help
raise public awareness about the need to make screening tests available
to all people at risk for prostate cancer, and to provide prostate
cancer patients with adequate information to assess the relative
benefits and risks of treatment options: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that--
(1) national and community organizations and health care providers
have played a commendable role in supplying information concerning the
importance of screening for prostate cancer and the treatment options
for patients with prostate cancer; and
(2) the Federal Government and the States should ensure that health
care providers supply prostate cancer patients with appropriate
information and any other tools necessary for prostate cancer patients
to receive readily understandable descriptions of the advantages,
disadvantages, benefits, and risks of all medically efficacious
treatments for prostate cancer, including brachytherapy, hormonal
treatments, external beam radiation, chemotherapy, surgery, and watchful
waiting.
Attest:
Clerk.