PRINTER'S NO. 3251
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
714
Session of
2020
INTRODUCED BY DONATUCCI, KINSEY, BIZZARRO, BARRAR, HILL-EVANS,
RYAN, BURNS, BROWN, SCHMITT, McNEILL, SHUSTERMAN, KIM,
LONGIETTI, BROOKS, PICKETT, MURT, FREEMAN, NEILSON, KORTZ,
ULLMAN, SCHLOSSBERG, PYLE, PASHINSKI, YOUNGBLOOD, READSHAW,
SCHLEGEL CULVER, CONKLIN, SONNEY, EVERETT, MILLARD,
McCLINTON, McCARTER, SAYLOR, SAINATO AND ROZZI,
FEBRUARY 3, 2020
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES, FEBRUARY 3, 2020
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing the month of February 2020 as "National Cancer
Prevention Month" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, In recent years, the United States has achieved
great progress in the fight against cancer; and
WHEREAS, Research and medical advances have opened new
opportunities for cancer prevention research, with many forms of
cancer becoming more preventable, detectable and treatable than
ever before, giving increased optimism for effective cancer
control; and
WHEREAS, The cancer death rate in the United States fell 2.2%
from 2016 to 2017, the largest single-year decline in cancer
mortality ever reported, largely due to reduced smoking rates
and advances in lung cancer treatment; and
WHEREAS, Nevertheless, cancer remains the second leading
cause of death in the United States according to the Centers for
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Disease Control and Prevention; and
WHEREAS, According to the American Cancer Society, in 2019,
there were an estimated 1,762,450 new cancer cases diagnosed and
606,880 deaths from cancer in the United States; and
WHEREAS, According to the American Cancer Society, in 2020,
it is estimated that there will be 80,240 new cancer cases and
27,860 cancer deaths in Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, Tobacco products, diets high in saturated fat,
obesity, excess radiation through sunlight, a lack of physical
activity, nutritional deficiencies, excess alcohol use,
occupational exposure to certain chemicals, infectious diseases,
a family history of cancer, inherited syndromes, reproductive
history or hormonal status and immunosuppression are some of the
suggestive risk factors associated with cancer; and
WHEREAS, According to a recent survey commissioned by the
American Institute for Cancer Research, fewer than half of
Americans recognize that alcohol, processed meat, high amounts
of red meat, low amounts of fruits and vegetables and not enough
physical activity all have clear links to cancer development;
and
WHEREAS, It is estimated that one-third of cases of the most
common cancers in the United States could be prevented by eating
healthy, being active and staying lean; and
WHEREAS, Early detection of some cancers can prevent the
disease from reaching an advanced, potentially fatal stage; and
WHEREAS, Screening offers the opportunity for secondary
prevention by detecting cancer early, before symptoms appear;
and
WHEREAS, In the last decade, several important advances in
treating lung cancer, which kills more people than breast,
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prostate, colorectal and brain cancers combined, have helped
avert patient deaths, including imaging technologies, less
invasive surgical approaches and immunotherapy; and
WHEREAS, Regular screening tests may find certain cancers
early, when they are easier to treat and before they have spread
to other areas of the body; and
WHEREAS, The United States Preventive Services Task Force
makes evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive
services, including screenings for lung, colorectal, cervical
and breast cancer; and
WHEREAS, There is much that can be done at individual,
community and governmental levels to harness and mobilize cancer
prevention campaigns and catalyze positive change; therefore be
it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
month of February 2020 as "National Cancer Prevention Month" in
Pennsylvania and call for an optimistic and proactive approach
to the fight against cancer, emphasizing that solutions do exist
across the continuum of cancer and that they are within the
reach of the residents of this Commonwealth.
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