IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1595 

Expressing support for the designation of November 2024 as ‘‘National Lung 

Cancer Awareness Month’’ and expressing support for early detection 

and treatment of lung cancer. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 22, 2024 

Mr. BOYLE of Pennsylvania (for himself, Mr. AUCHINCLOSS, and Mr. 

LAWLER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for the designation of November 2024 

as ‘‘National Lung Cancer Awareness Month’’ and expressing support for early detection and treatment of 

lung cancer. 

Whereas lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related 

death among individuals in the United States, accounting 

for more deaths than colon cancer, breast cancer, and 

prostate cancer combined; 

Whereas, in 2024, an estimated 234,580 individuals in the 

United States will be diagnosed with lung cancer, and 

125,070 individuals (approximately 340 individuals per 

day) will die from the disease; 


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•HRES 1595 IH 

Whereas 1 in 16 men and 1 in 17 women in the United 

States will develop lung cancer during their lifetimes; 

Whereas the rate of lung cancer death in women in the 

United States has increased by 92 percent over the 50- 

year span from 1971 to 2021; 

Whereas, each year, more women die from lung cancer than 

breast cancer and ovarian cancer combined; 

Whereas women who never smoked are more than twice as 

likely to get lung cancer as men who never smoked; 

Whereas, in 2024, 20,300 people will die from lung cancer 

unrelated to smoking, which would be the eighth-leading 

cause of cancer death if classified as a separate disease; 

Whereas, approximately 10 to 20 percent of lung cancers 

occur in people who are nonsmokers, and the proportion 

of lung cancers diagnosed in individuals who have never 

smoked is increasing in the United States; 

Whereas, in 2024, approximately 101,300 of the 125,070 

lung cancer deaths (81 percent) will be caused by cigarette smoking directly, and secondhand smoke causes 

over 7,300 lung cancer deaths each year in adults who 

do not smoke; 

Whereas the 5-year survival rate is 65 percent for those diagnosed with localized lung cancer and 9 percent for those 

diagnosed at a stage when the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body; 

Whereas screening with low-dose computed tomography can 

detect lung cancer in its earliest stages and ultimately 

save lives, yet only 5.8 percent of individuals in the 

United States at high risk for lung cancer undergo lung 

cancer screening; 


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•HRES 1595 IH 

Whereas geographic availability of facilities and transportation barriers are persistent challenges to lung cancer 

screening; 

Whereas nearly 70 percent of adults are not familiar with 

lung cancer screening and the low-dose computed tomography scan; 

Whereas lung cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed 

cancer in veterans; 

Whereas veterans are 25 percent more likely to develop lung 

cancer compared to the general public, and, although approximately 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 veterans have an elevated risk of lung cancer and are eligible for screening, 

less than 3 percent of veterans get screened; 

Whereas Black men have the highest incidence of lung cancer 

and the highest mortality rate from lung cancer in the 

United States, and nonwhite individuals are 14 to 17 

percent less likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer early; 

Whereas changes made to the United States Preventive Services Task Force lung cancer screening guidelines in 2021 

increased the number of individuals in the United States 

who are recommended to receive screening from 

8,000,000 to 14,500,000; 

Whereas the stigma surrounding lung cancer— 

(1) creates barriers to early diagnosis, treatment, 

and research; 

(2) has a detrimental impact on the quality of life 

of lung cancer patients; and 

(3) hinders funding into lung cancer risk factors unrelated to smoking; 

Whereas lung cancer research is leading to breakthroughs in 

biomarker identification and the development of 


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•HRES 1595 IH 

immunotherapies and targeted therapies that are highly 

effective for some cancer subtypes, yet accessing cutting 

edge testing as part of the lung cancer diagnostic process 

can be difficult; and 

Whereas educational efforts can increase awareness of lung 

cancer and lung cancer screening among the general public, patients and their families, and health care workers, 

thereby increasing the early detection of lung cancer: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) expresses support for the designation of 

3 ‘‘National Lung Cancer Awareness Month’’; 

4 (2) supports the purposes and ideals of Na5 tional Lung Cancer Awareness Month; 

6 (3) promotes efforts to increase awareness of, 

7 education about, and research on— 

8 (A) mitigation of risk factors; 

9 (B) lung cancer screening; 

10 (C) treatment of lung cancer; and 

11 (D) lung cancer affecting minorities and 

12 individuals who have never smoked; and 

13 (4) encourages the people of the United States 

14 to observe National Lung Cancer Awareness Month 

15 with appropriate awareness and educational activi16 ties. 

Æ 


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