Recognizing October 2021 as Liver Cancer Awareness Month.

Whereas liver cancers, and risk factors causing such diseases, have become urgent problems of global proportion; Whereas in the United States, liver cancer is the fastest-growing cause of cancer-related death and is among the leading causes of cancer-related deaths; Whereas in the United States, the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences of the National Cancer Institute estimated that there will be 42,230 new liver cancer diagnoses in the year 2021, and approximately 30,200 will die from the disease; Whereas liver cancer cases are projected to increase 35 percent in the United States; Whereas, on average, between 20 to 30 percent of individuals with chronic hepatitis B infection, 4 percent of individuals with hepatitis C, 20 percent of individuals with hepatitis C-cirrhosis, between 4 to 27 percent of individuals with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and between 10 to 15 percent of individuals with alcohol-related cirrhosis will develop liver cancer; Whereas American Indian and Alaska Natives are more than twice as likely to develop liver cancer when compared to non-Hispanic Whites; Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, Hispanic, Native American Pacific Islander and Black men and women are at greater risk of developing liver cancer as compared to the White (Hispanic and non-Hispanic) population; Whereas among the Native American Pacific Islander population, the higher rate of liver cancer is partially explained by higher incidence rates of hepatitis B and diabetes, which are comorbidities shown to increase the risk of developing liver cancer in an individual; Whereas the largest increase of liver cancer rates by 2030 is projected to be among African-American men and women; and Whereas the goals of Liver Cancer Awareness Month (1) highlight the global impact of liver cancer and the risk for all people with liver disease; (2) recognize that 70 percent of liver cancer cases could potentially be prevented and eliminated in part through a comprehensive public education and awareness campaign designed to identify those at risk for, and living with, liver cancer; (3) inform patients about new treatments and clinical trials that are available for liver cancer; and (4) help increase the length and quality of life for people diagnosed with liver cancer: Now, therefore, be it That the House of Representatives— (1) supports broad access to treatments of and testing for the greatest risk factors for liver cancer, including the hepatitis B virus, the hepatitis C virus, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, alcohol-related cirrhosis, and other related liver conditions; (2) supports raising awareness of the risks and consequences of undiagnosed liver cancer, the importance of screening at-risk populations, and the value of diagnosing early; (3) calls for a robust governmental and public health response to protect the health of the approximately 45,000 people in the United States who currently have liver cancer; and (4) urges the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to partner with State and local health departments to develop strategies to address risk factors for liver cancer and related liver diseases, including expanding access to hepatitis B vaccination, and access to available treatments of and testing for hepatitis C, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and cirrhosis of the liver.

Summary: This resolution expresses support for access to testing and treatments for liver cancer and related liver diseases.