III 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 512 

Designating November 2023 as ‘‘National Lung Cancer Awareness Month’’ 

and expressing support for early detection and treatment of lung cancer. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 18, 2023 

Ms. SMITH (for herself, Mr. RUBIO, Mrs. CAPITO, and Mr. GRASSLEY) 

submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating November 2023 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 2023, an estimated 238,340 individuals in the 

United States will be diagnosed with lung cancer, and 

127,070 individuals (approximately 350 individuals per 

day) will die from the disease; 

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

States will develop lung cancer during their lifetimes; 

2 

•SRES 512 ATS 

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, in 2023, 20,500 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 18 percent of lung cancers are unrelated to smoking, and the proportion of lung cancers diagnosed in individuals who have never smoked is increasing in the 

United States; 

Whereas, in 2023, approximately 103,000 of the 127,070 

lung cancer deaths (81 percent) will be caused by cigarette smoking directly, with an additional 3,560 lung cancer deaths caused by second-hand smoke; 

Whereas the 5-year survival rate for localized lung cancer is 

63 percent, yet a majority of lung cancers are diagnosed 

at a distant stage, for which the 5-year survival rate is 

8 percent; 

Whereas screening with low-dose computed tomography can 

detect lung cancer in its earliest stages and ultimately 

save lives, yet only 3 to 7 percent of individuals in the 

United States at high risk for lung cancer undergo lung 

cancer screening; 

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; 

3 

•SRES 512 ATS 

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 non-White 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 

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 pubVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:18 Dec 19, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR512.ATS SR512
4 

•SRES 512 ATS 

lic, patients and their families, and health care workers, 

thereby increasing the early detection of lung cancer: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates November 2023 as ‘‘National 

3 Lung Cancer Awareness Month’’; 

4 (2) designates the first week of November 2023 

5 as ‘‘National Women’s Lung Cancer Awareness 

6 Week’’; 

7 (3) designates the second Saturday of Novem8 ber 2023 as ‘‘National Lung Cancer Screening 

9 Day’’; 

10 (4) supports the purposes and ideals of Na11 tional Lung Cancer Awareness Month; 

12 (5) promotes efforts to increase awareness of, 

13 education about, and research on— 

14 (A) mitigation of risk factors; 

15 (B) lung cancer screening; 

16 (C) treatment of lung cancer; 

17 (D) lung cancer affecting minorities and 

18 individuals who have never smoked; and 

19 (6) encourages the people of the United States 

20 to observe National Lung Cancer Awareness Month 

21 with appropriate awareness and educational activi22 ties. 

Æ