Title
Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Proclamation
Body
WHEREAS colorectal cancer is third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second most common cause of cancer deaths for men and women in the United States;
WHEREAS colorectal cancer affects men and women equally;
WHEREAS the lifetime risk of being diagnosed with cancer of the colon or rectum is 5.5 percent for men and 5.1 percent for women in the United States;
WHEREAS every 3 minutes, someone is diagnosed with colorectal cancer and every 10 minutes someone dies from colorectal cancer;
WHEREAS the vast majority of colon cancer deaths can be prevented through proper screening and early detection;
WHEREAS the survival rate of individuals who have colorectal cancer is 90 percent when detected in the early stages versus only a 10 percent survival rate when colorectal cancer is diagnosed after it has spread to other organs;
WHEREAS of the 51,690 people expected to die of colorectal cancers in 2012, early detection could save more than half;
WHEREAS only 39 percent of colorectal cancer patients have their cancers detected at an early stage;
WHEREAS regular colorectal cancer screening has been ranked as one of the most cost effective screening interventions available, with the potential to save 40,000 lives a year;
WHEREAS if the majority of people in the United States age 50 or older were screened regularly for colorectal cancer, the death rate from this disease could plummet by up to 70 percent;
WHEREAS, among African-Americans, incidence rates are more than 20 percent higher and mortality rates are about 45 percent higher than rates in Whites;
WHEREAS, African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, American Indians, and Alaskan Natives are significantly less likely to be screened for colorectal cancer compared to Whites;
WHEREAS greater awareness of this cancer and the means to prevent it could save the lives of tens of thousands of people in the United States each year;
WHEREAS colorec...
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