PRINTER'S NO. 2505
No. 418 Session of 2008
INTRODUCED BY GORDNER AND STACK, OCTOBER 8, 2008
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, OCTOBER 8, 2008
A RESOLUTION
1 Designating the month of November 2008 as "Lung Cancer Awareness
2 Month" in Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, Lung Cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in
4 the world, this nation and this Commonwealth; and
5 WHEREAS, Lung cancer will be responsible for more American
6 deaths in 2008 than breast, prostate, colon, liver, kidney and
7 melanoma skin cancers combined; and
8 WHEREAS, There are an estimated 213,000 new cases of lung
9 cancer and 439 deaths from lung cancer each day in this nation,
10 resulting in approximately 160,000 deaths annually, of which
11 nonsmokers account for roughly 30,000; and
12 WHEREAS, There were an estimated 10,500 new cases of lung
13 cancer and 7,800 deaths from lung cancer this year in this
14 Commonwealth; and
15 WHEREAS, Smoking is the number one cause of lung cancer, yet
16 former smokers and persons who have never smoked comprise 60% of
17 new cases of lung cancer each year; and
1 WHEREAS, Other causes of lung cancer include exposure to
2 cancer-causing substances or carcinogens, such as asbestos,
3 radon, uranium, arsenic and certain petroleum products; and
4 WHEREAS, Symptoms of lung cancer include chronic cough,
5 hoarseness, coughing up blood, weight loss and loss of appetite,
6 shortness of breath, fever without a known reason, wheezing,
7 repeated bouts of bronchitis or pneumonia and chest pain; and
8 WHEREAS, In the early stages of lung cancer, these symptoms
9 are usually absent, although when the symptoms occur, the cancer
10 is most often advanced; and
11 WHEREAS, There is currently no standard or cost-effective
12 screening procedure for lung cancer; and
13 WHEREAS, Funding for lung cancer medical research falls far
14 short of that for diseases with a lesser fatality rate; and
15 WHEREAS, To help build awareness and save lives, the Lung
16 Cancer Alliance, a national patient advocacy group for lung
17 cancer, has designated the month of November 2008 as "Lung
18 Cancer Awareness Month"; and
19 WHEREAS, It is fitting and proper for this Commonwealth to
20 join this nation in designating the month of November 2008 as
21 "Lung Cancer Awareness Month" so that through better education,
22 more cases of lung cancer may be found in the early stages when
23 the chance of long-term survival is enhanced; therefore be it
24 RESOLVED, That the Senate designate the month of November
25 2008 as "Lung Cancer Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania to promote
26 greater public awareness, enhance education, erase the stigma
27 and increase early diagnosis of this disease in order to reduce
28 health costs and to save lives in this Commonwealth.
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