IV 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 298 
Supporting the goals and ideals of National Lung Cancer Awareness Month 
and expressing the sense of the Congress that the Federal commitment 
to lung cancer research and earlier detection must be significantly in-
creased. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 15, 2005 
Mr. SHAW submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Supporting the goals and ideals of National Lung Cancer 
Awareness Month and expressing the sense of the Con-
gress that the Federal commitment to lung cancer re-
search and earlier detection must be significantly in-
creased. 
Whereas lung cancer is the leading cancer killer of both men 
and women; 
Whereas lung cancer claims the lives of more people each 
year than breast, prostate, colon, liver, melanoma, and 
kidney cancers combined; 
Whereas the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results 
(SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute esti-
mates that 172,570 new lung cases will be diagnosed in
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2005 and 163,510 individuals will die of lung cancer in 
2005; 
Whereas in 2005, lung cancer will kill over three times as 
many men as prostate cancer and nearly twice as many 
women as breast cancer; 
Whereas the Lung Cancer Alliance points out that the 5-year 
survival rate for lung cancer is still only 15 percent, vir-
tually unchanged since the National Cancer Act of 1971; 
Whereas the 5-year survival rate is 99 percent for prostate 
cancer and 88 percent for breast cancer; 
Whereas the overall Federal research commitment to lung 
cancer research in 2005 expressed in dollars per death is 
$1,829; 
Whereas the overall Federal research commitment to research 
in 2005 expressed in dollars per death is $23,474 for 
breast cancer and $14,369 for prostate cancer; 
Whereas both incidence and mortality rates for lung cancer 
are significantly higher in black males; 
Whereas veterans are at high risk for lung cancer due to the 
federally subsidized distribution of cigarettes and expo-
sure during combat to known lung cancer carcinogens 
such as Agent Orange; 
Whereas over 60 percent of new lung cancer cases are now 
being diagnosed in people who never smoked or in former 
smokers who had already quit smoking, many of them 
decades ago; 
Whereas the majority of non-smokers being diagnosed with 
lung cancer are women, many of them in their forties;
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Whereas 70 percent of new lung cancer cases are not diag-
nosed until late stage when the cancer has already metas-
tasized; 
Whereas the public is not aware of many of the statistics, the 
risk factors, or the need for early diagnosis; 
Whereas an early diagnosis can reduce deaths; 
Whereas the Federal commitment to lung cancer research 
and earlier detection must be significantly increased; and 
Whereas the recognition of November as National Lung Can-
cer Awareness Month would increase awareness about 
lung cancer and the need for lung cancer research and 
early detection: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That the Congress— 
(1) supports the goals and ideals of National 
Lung Cancer Awareness Month; 
(2) should work to increase the Federal re-
search commitment to lung cancer research and 
early detection to the amount necessary to bring the 
5-year survival rate to 50 percent within 10 years; 
and 
(3) should work with all Federal agencies in-
volved in cancer research to develop a coordinated 
road map for accomplishing that goal. 
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