III 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 912 

Designating November 2024 as ‘‘National Lung Cancer Awareness Month’’ 

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

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 21, 2024 

Ms. SMITH (for herself, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mr. DURBIN, Ms. 

HIRONO, and Mr. REED) submitted the following resolution; which was 

considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating 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; 

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

States will develop lung cancer during their lifetimes; 


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

breast cancer and ovarian cancer combined; 

Whereas women who never smoked are more likely than men 

who never smoked to get lung cancer; 

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 cancer diagnoses occur in people who are non-smokers, and the proportion of lung cancer diagnoses 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 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; 


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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 the number of individuals in the United States recommended to receive lung cancer screening was estimated 

to be 14,500,000 as of 2021; 

Whereas the stigma surrounding lung cancer— 

(1) creates barriers to early diagnosis, treatment, 

and research; and 

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

of lung cancer patients; 

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 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 Senate— 


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1 (1) designates November 2024 as ‘‘National 

2 Lung Cancer Awareness Month’’; 

3 (2) designates the first week of November 2024 

4 as ‘‘National Women’s Lung Cancer Awareness 

5 Week’’; 

6 (3) designates the second Saturday of Novem7 ber 2024 as ‘‘National Lung Cancer Screening 

8 Day’’; 

9 (4) supports the purposes and ideals of Na10 tional Lung Cancer Awareness Month; 

11 (5) promotes efforts to increase awareness of, 

12 education about, and research on— 

13 (A) mitigation of risk factors; 

14 (B) lung cancer screening; 

15 (C) treatment of lung cancer; and 

16 (D) lung cancer affecting minorities and 

17 individuals who have never smoked; and 

18 (6) encourages the people of the United States 

19 to observe National Lung Cancer Awareness Month 

20 with appropriate awareness and educational activi21 ties. 

Æ 


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