Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 27
CHAPTER 138

Relative to Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.

[ Filed with Secretary of State  September 06, 2017. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SCR 27, Gaines. Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
This measure would proclaim the month of September 2017 as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in California.
Fiscal Committee: NO  
WHEREAS, Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men aside from skin cancer. An estimated one in eight men will develop this disease in his lifetime; and
WHEREAS, The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be 161,360 new cases of prostate cancer in the United States in 2017, resulting in an estimated 26,730 deaths; and
WHEREAS, An estimated 14,520 men in California will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, and an estimated 3,130 men in California will die from this disease; and
WHEREAS, Men of African American descent have the highest prostate cancer incidence rates in the world, and their prostate cancer mortality rate in the United States is more than twice that of any other ethnic group of men; and
WHEREAS, Early prostate cancer usually has no symptoms, and studies suggest strong familial predisposition may be responsible for 5 percent to 10 percent of the disease cases; and
WHEREAS, Advanced prostate cancer commonly spreads to the bones, which can cause pain in the hips, spine, ribs, or other areas in the body; and
WHEREAS, The five-year survival rate approaches 100 percent when prostate cancer is diagnosed and treated early, but it drops to 29 percent when it spreads to other parts of the body; and
WHEREAS, Treatment options for prostate cancer vary depending on a man’s age, the stage and grade of his cancer, and his other existing medical conditions; and
WHEREAS, The American Cancer Society recommends that a man should have an opportunity to make an informed decision about whether to be tested for prostate cancer based on his personal values and preferences; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby proclaims the month of September 2017 as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in California; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature joins communities across our nation to increase awareness about the importance for men to make informed decisions with their health care providers about early detection and testing for prostate cancer; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.