Bill Text: VA HJR245 | 2016 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Month; designating as November 2016, and each succeeding year.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2016-02-23 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ245ER) [HJR245 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2016-HJR245-Introduced.html
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16104771D WHEREAS, breast cancer is second only to skin cancer as the most common form of cancer found among women in the United States and is the second leading cause of cancer death for women; and WHEREAS, over 12 percent of women born today in the United States, or one in eight women, will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer during their lifetime; and WHEREAS, this devastating disease affects all races and socioeconomic classes; although white and African American women experience the greatest incidence of breast cancer, the mortality rate for African American women with breast cancer is 42 percent higher than that of white women, and breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death for Hispanic women; and WHEREAS, metastatic breast cancer, or Stage IV breast cancer, is the advanced stage of the disease in which cancer cells have metastasized, or spread, from the breast to other parts of the body, commonly the lung, liver, bones, and brain; and WHEREAS, approximately five percent of newly diagnosed breast cancer cases are diagnosed as metastatic breast cancer, and it is estimated that 30 percent of early-stage breast cancer cases will become metastatic or recurrent advanced cases; and WHEREAS, the diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer in women under the age of 40 is increasing and has tripled between 1979 and 2009; women with metastatic breast cancer have a poorer prognosis and lower survival rate than women with early-stage breast cancer, and the average survival rate of a woman diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer is only three years; and WHEREAS, despite the morbidity and mortality associated with metastatic breast cancer, the average amount of funding spent on metastasis research constitutes only seven percent of total cancer research spending; and WHEREAS, being aware of current information, support, treatments, and coping methods available for women with metastatic breast cancer can help them and their caregivers and friends through a potentially overwhelming and very difficult time; and WHEREAS, it is important that citizens be encouraged to educate others on the critical need for more research and the vital role of early detection of breast cancer and to ensure that all women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer have adequate access to support and appropriate care; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly designate November, in 2016 and in each succeeding year, as Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Virginia; and, be it RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit a copy of this resolution to Scarlott K. Mueller, Chair of the American Cancer Society, and O.H. Bobbitt, State Lead Ambassador for Virginia, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, so that members of these organizations may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter; and, be it RESOLVED FINALLY, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates post the designation of this month on the General Assembly's website. |
