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[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 552 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 552

  Designating September 2006 as ``National Prostate Cancer Awareness 
                                Month''.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   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, and Mr. Specter) submitted the following resolution; which was 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               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
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates September 2006 as ``National Prostate Cancer 
        Awareness Month'';
            (2) declares that it is critical--
                    (A) to raise awareness about the importance of 
                screening methods and the treatment of prostate cancer;
                    (B) 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
                    (C) to continue to consider methods to improve both 
                access to and the quality of health care services for 
                detecting and treating prostate cancer; and
            (3) calls on the people of the United States, interested 
        groups, and affected persons--
                    (A) to promote awareness of prostate cancer;
                    (B) to take an active role in the fight to end the 
                devastating effects of prostate cancer on individuals, 
                their families, and the economy; and
                    (C) to observe National Prostate Cancer Awareness 
                Month with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
                                 <all>
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