III
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 552
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
August 3, 2006
Mr. Sessions (for himself, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Inhofe, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Shelby, Mr. Specter, Mrs. Feinstein, Mrs. Boxer, and Mr. Hatch) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
September 5, 2006
Committee discharged; considered and agreed to
RESOLUTION
Designating September 2006 as
National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
.
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;
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
That the Senate—
designates September 2006 as
National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
;
declares that it is critical—
to raise awareness about the importance of screening methods and the treatment of prostate cancer;
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
to continue to consider methods to improve both access to and the quality of health care services for detecting and treating prostate cancer; and
calls on the people of the United States, interested groups, and affected persons—
to promote awareness of prostate cancer;
to take an active role in the fight to end the devastating effects of prostate cancer on individuals, their families, and the economy; and
to observe National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month with appropriate ceremonies and activities.