HR 12 - AS INTRODUCED
2023 SESSION
23-0447
08/05
HOUSE RESOLUTION 12
SPONSORS: Rep. Hakken-Phillips, Graf. 12; Rep. N. Murphy, Hills. 12
COMMITTEE: Executive Departments and Administration
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ANALYSIS
This resolution designates November 2023 as "National Lung Cancer Awareness Month" and expresses support for the early detection and treatment of lung cancer.
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23-0447
08/05
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Three
Whereas, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death among men and women in the United States, accounting for more deaths than pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer combined; and
Whereas, this year, 236,740 individuals in the U.S. will be diagnosed with lung cancer, and 130,180 individuals—or about 350 people per day—will die from the disease; and
Whereas, 1 in 15 men and 1 in 17 women in the U.S. will develop lung cancer during their lifetimes; and
Whereas, lung cancer diagnoses have increased by 84 percent in women over the past 42 years, each year more women die from lung cancer than breast cancer, and by 2035, it is estimated that more women will die from lung cancer than men; and
Whereas, this year, 20,700 people will die from lung cancer unrelated to smoking, which would be the eighth leading cause of cancer death if classified as its own disease, approximately 17 percent of women are diagnosed with lung cancer unrelated to smoking, and the proportion of lung cancers diagnosed in people who have never smoked is increasing in the United States; and
Whereas, radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among people who have never smoked and the second leading cause of lung cancer overall, and miners, construction workers, and firefighters have an increased risk of dying from lung cancer due to occupational exposure; and
Whereas, racial, socioeconomic, and regional disparities in lung cancer screening, treatment, and mortality are well documented, black men have the highest lung cancer incidence and mortality in the United States and non-white patients and patients living in regions of greater deprivation are less likely to receive curative lung cancer treatment than white patients and patients living in more affluent regions; and
Whereas, the 5-year survival rate for localized lung cancer is 61 percent, yet a majority of lung cancers are diagnosed at a distant stage when the 5-year survival rate is 7 percent; and
Whereas, screening with low-dose computed tomography can detect lung cancer in its earliest stages and ultimately save lives, yet only 2.8 to 7.2 percent of individuals in the United States at high risk undergo lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography; and
Whereas, veterans are 25 percent more likely to develop lung cancer compared to the general public, and, while 900,000 veterans are eligible for screening, less than 3 percent get screened for lung cancer; and
Whereas, although the changes made in the 2021 United States Preventive Services Taskforce lung cancer screening guidelines increased the number of Americans eligible for lung cancer screening from 8 million to 14.5 million, racial and gender disparities in screening eligibility persist, and many high-risk individuals, including those who have never smoked but have other risk factors such as family history or exposure to radon, asbestos, air pollution, burn pits, and secondhand smoke, continue to be ineligible for lung cancer screening; and
Whereas, the stigma surrounding lung cancer creates barriers to early diagnosis, treatment, and funding for research, has a detrimental impact on the quality of life of people diagnosed with lung cancer, and hinders awareness of and studies into lung cancer risk factors other than smoking; and
Whereas, lung cancer research is leading to breakthroughs in the identification of genetic and alterations associated with lung cancer and in the development of lung cancer treatments, including immunotherapies and targeted therapies; 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
Resolved That the House of Representatives:
Designates November 2023 as “National Lung Cancer Awareness Month” and further designates the first week of November 2023 as “National Women’s Lung Cancer Awareness Week” supporting the purposes and ideals of National Lung Cancer Awareness Month which promote efforts to increase awareness of, education about, and research for smoking cessation, lung cancer screening, and treatment of lung cancer, as well as lung cancer affecting women, people who have never smoked, and racial/ethnic minorities and encourages the people of New Hampshire to observe National Lung Cancer Awareness Month with appropriate awareness and educational activities.