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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | November 9, 2015 04:03 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Richard L. Alloway, II and Sen. Shirley M. Kitchen |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month in Pennsylvania |
| In the near future, I intend to offer a resolution to recognize the month of November 2015 as Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month in Pennsylvania. In 2015, an estimated 46,420 people have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the United States and 39,590 will die from the disease. Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, is currently the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States and is projected to become the second by 2020. Pancreatic cancer is the only major cancer with a five-year relative survival rate in the single digits at just six percent. When symptoms of pancreatic cancer present themselves, it is generally late stage, and 73 percent of pancreatic cancer patients die within the first year of their diagnosis while 94 percent of pancreatic cancer patients die within the first five years. Approximately 1,990 deaths will occur in Pennsylvania in 2015. The Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act was signed into law in 2013, which calls on the National Cancer Institute to develop a scientific framework, or strategic plans, for pancreatic cancer and other deadly cancers, which will help provide the strategic direction and guidance needed to make true progress against these diseases. The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is the national organization serving the pancreatic cancer community in Pennsylvania and nationwide through a comprehensive approach that includes public policy, research funding, patient services, and public awareness and education related to developing effective treatments and a cure for pancreatic cancer. The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and its affiliates in Pennsylvania support those patients currently battling pancreatic cancer, as well as to those who have lost their lives to the disease, and are committed to nothing less than a cure. The good health and well-being of the residents of Pennsylvania are enhanced as a direct result of increased awareness about pancreatic cancer and research into early detection, causes, and effective treatments; therefore, I ask you to join me in designating the month of November 2015 as “Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month” in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. |
Introduced as SR244