HR 471 — A Resolution designating the month of April 2026 as "Esophageal Cancer Awareness and Prevention Month" in Pennsylvania.

PRINTER'S NO.   3152

                  THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



           HOUSE RESOLUTION
              No. 471
                                                 Session of
                                                   2026

     INTRODUCED BY EMRICK, FREEMAN, HANBIDGE, JAMES, McNEILL,
        OLSOMMER, PICKETT AND NEILSON, APRIL 7, 2026

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, APRIL 8, 2026


                                  A RESOLUTION
 1   Designating the month of April 2026 as "Esophageal Cancer
 2      Awareness and Prevention Month" in Pennsylvania.
 3      WHEREAS, According to the National Cancer Institute, an
 4   estimated 22,070 individuals were diagnosed with esophageal
 5   cancer in the United States in 2025, and approximately 16,250
 6   died from the disease; and
 7      WHEREAS, Esophageal cancer is among the deadliest cancers,
 8   and only approximately one in five patients will survive for
 9   five years; and
10      WHEREAS, Esophageal cancer is often not detected and
11   diagnosed until the disease has reached the later stages, and
12   treatment is often radical, is likely to cause complications and
13   involves outcomes which are poor; and
14      WHEREAS, In the past, when esophageal cancer was detected
15   early, open esophagectomy was associated with a high mortality
16   rate and a prolonged length of stay and recovery; and
17      WHEREAS, Recent advances in surgery and critical care have
18   allowed centers of excellence in selected academic hospitals to
 1   perform minimally invasive esophagectomy, some robotically, with
 2   excellent outcomes, lower risk of death and earlier return to
 3   activities of daily living; and
 4         WHEREAS, One of the most common causes of esophageal cancer
 5   is gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which is viewed by
 6   many sufferers as an acceptable condition of life; and
 7         WHEREAS, GERD can lead to Barrett's esophagus, which can
 8   increase an individual's risk of developing esophageal cancer;
 9   and
10         WHEREAS, With monitoring and treatment of GERD, the potential
11   for long-term irreversible damage leading to esophageal cancer
12   can be minimized; and
13         WHEREAS, Esophageal cancer can occur without reflux symptoms
14   or history of smoking or excessive alcohol use; and
15         WHEREAS, Esophageal cancer is among the cancers that receive
16   the least amount of Federal medical research funding; and
17         WHEREAS, The health and well-being of all residents of this
18   Commonwealth will be enhanced by improving esophageal cancer
19   awareness, prevention and increased research funding into early
20   detection and treatment strategies; therefore be it
21         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
22   month of April 2026 as "Esophageal Cancer Awareness and
23   Prevention Month" in Pennsylvania; and be it further
24         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives encourage
25   residents of this Commonwealth to take steps to prevent this
26   disease through treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease.




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