HR 102 — A Resolution designating the month of March 2025 as "Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.

PRINTER'S NO.   884

                  THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



           HOUSE RESOLUTION
              No. 102
                                                 Session of
                                                   2025

     INTRODUCED BY MIHALEK, MARCH 10, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES, MARCH 10, 2025


                                  A RESOLUTION
 1   Designating the month of March 2025 as "Colorectal Cancer
 2      Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.
 3      WHEREAS, Colorectal cancer is cancer in either the colon or
 4   the rectum; and
 5      WHEREAS, Colorectal cancer is usually related to polyps which
 6   form in the colon or rectum and can spread through nearby
 7   tissues or lymph nodes and possibly spread to other organs; and
 8      WHEREAS, Symptoms of colorectal cancer can include blood in
 9   or on stool, stomach pain, aches or cramps that do not go away
10   and unexplained weight loss; and
11      WHEREAS, Colorectal cancer is a serious diagnosis that can
12   upend a person's life; and
13      WHEREAS, One in 24 people will be diagnosed with colorectal
14   cancer in their lifetime; and
15      WHEREAS, Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly
16   diagnosed cancer; and
17      WHEREAS, In 2025, an estimated 154,270 new cases of
18   colorectal cancer will be diagnosed in the United States; and
 1         WHEREAS, By 2030, colorectal cancer is expected to be the
 2   number one cancer killer for those individuals between 20 and 49
 3   years of age; and
 4         WHEREAS, A colonoscopy is the gold standard of colon cancer
 5   screening because the procedure can both diagnose colon cancer
 6   and remove polyps that can become cancerous; and
 7         WHEREAS, A colonoscopy limits the likelihood of new cases of
 8   colon cancer by 69% and reduces the chance of dying by 88%; and
 9         WHEREAS, The Department of Health recommends that a person be
10   screened for colorectal cancer between 45 and 75 years of age,
11   as the risk of developing colorectal cancer increases with age;
12   and
13         WHEREAS, Just 66% of Pennsylvania adults over 45 years of age
14   have been screened for colorectal cancer; and
15         WHEREAS, Screening for colorectal cancer is important because
16   symptoms may not be present, especially in early stages; and
17         WHEREAS, Sixty-eight percent of deaths from colorectal cancer
18   could be prevented with screening; and
19         WHEREAS, The five-year survival rate of localized colorectal
20   cancer is 90%; and
21         WHEREAS, There are more than 1.5 million colorectal cancer
22   survivors in the United States; and
23         WHEREAS, Some patients with colorectal cancer have a
24   temporary or permanent stoma, or opening in the abdomen,
25   following surgery and an estimated 750,000 to 1,000,000
26   Americans have an ostomy; and
27         WHEREAS, Rates of colorectal cancer are different across race
28   and ethnicity; and
29         WHEREAS, Black Americans are 20% more likely to have
30   colorectal cancer and 40% more likely to die from it; and

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 1      WHEREAS, Native communities face the highest rate of cases
 2   out of any ethnic group; and
 3      WHEREAS, Incidence rates for colorectal cancer have declined
 4   more than 50% between 1985 and 2020; and
 5      WHEREAS, Despite the decline in this disease over the past
 6   four decades, colorectal cancer is still the second most deadly
 7   cancer in this Commonwealth; and
 8      WHEREAS, Among the top five most deadly cancers, colorectal
 9   cancer is the only one that does not have its own research
10   program and dedicated funding stream; therefore be it
11      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
12   month of March 2025 as "Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month" in
13   Pennsylvania.




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