Expressing support for the designation of May as "National Bladder Cancer Awareness Month".

IV 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 415 Expressing support for the designation of May as ‘‘National Bladder Cancer Awareness Month’’. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 17, 2023 Mr. CARTWRIGHT (for himself, Mr. ADERHOLT, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. DAVIS of North Caro- lina, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Ms. NOR- TON, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. PORTER, Mr. RUIZ, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Ms. SEWELL, Mr. TONKO, Mrs. TRAHAN, and Ms. WILD) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce RESOLUTION Expressing support for the designation of May as ‘‘National Bladder Cancer Awareness Month’’. Whereas increased public awareness and early treatment of bladder cancer will save thousands of lives; Whereas more than 800,000 families in the United States live with bladder cancer; Whereas it is estimated that more than 82,290 people in the United States, or over 230 Americans every day, will be diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2023, including over 62,420 men and 19,870 women; VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:21 May 18, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR415.IH HR415 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •HRES 415 IH Whereas it is estimated that bladder cancer will kill more than 16,710 Americans this year alone; Whereas the bladder cancer diagnosis rate is expected to in- crease by 1.35 percent in 2023, while many other forms of cancer are projected to decline; Whereas bladder cancer can directly impact all people, re- gardless of age, sex, and race; Whereas bladder cancer is among the top 7 most diagnosed cancers in the United States, and the top 4 most com- monly diagnosed cancers for our honored veterans; Whereas, if diagnosed early, bladder cancer is highly treat- able, but survivability rates decrease substantially with later detection; Whereas smoking and environmental or occupational expo- sure to carcinomic chemicals are the top causes of blad- der cancer; Whereas studies have shown a higher level of bladder cancer in firefighters, veterans, and senior citizens than in the general public; Whereas bladder cancer symptoms, such as blood in the urine, are easily recognized, however, many Americans are unaware of the warning signs and often put off diag- nostic testing and treatment; Whereas bladder cancer is known as one of the most expen- sive cancers to treat on a per patient basis and has a re- occurrence rate of approximately 50 to 80 percent, re- quiring lifelong surveillance; Whereas, while bladder cancer is more prevalent in men, women are commonly diagnosed at a later stage and face VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:21 May 18, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR415.IH HR415 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •HRES 415 IH a worse prognosis even when diagnosed at the same stage as men; Whereas there have been limited significant breakthroughs in the past 30 years to advance the treatment of and move toward a cure for bladder cancer; Whereas the quality of life and chance of survival for a blad- der cancer patient depends largely on new advancements and a renewed focus on research from both the Federal Government and private industry; Whereas increased awareness for bladder cancer will promote earlier diagnosis and increased chances of survival; Whereas, in 2023, Congress will require the Department of Veterans Affairs to dramatically increase bladder cancer treatments for the Nation’s veterans, living up to the promise the Nation made decades ago; Whereas based on the Nation’s experience diagnosing and caring for Vietnam veterans exposed to carcinogenic chemicals such as Agent Orange and Agent Blue, efforts are underway to document current servicemembers’ expo- sure to burn pits; Whereas the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Pro- grams, working concurrently with the National Institutes of Health, annually fund the high-risk, high-reward, re- search required to one day discover a cure for bladder cancer; Whereas traditionally throughout May, survivors, caregivers, and loved ones unite for walks in communities across the United States to raise awareness for bladder cancer along with funds for bladder cancer research; Whereas the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network has worked for more than 18 years to raise public awareness for VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:21 May 18, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR415.IH HR415 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 4 •HRES 415 IH bladder cancer while providing patients with the knowl- edge, resources, and support they need to navigate their personal bladder cancer journey; Whereas the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network annually funds cutting edge research in search of better treat- ments and a final cure for bladder cancer while working every day to raise public awareness, support patients, and increase research; and Whereas May would be an appropriate month to designate as ‘‘National Bladder Cancer Awareness Month’’: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) supports the designation of ‘‘National Blad- 2 der Cancer Awareness Month’’; 3 (2) supports the goals and ideals of ‘‘National 4 Bladder Cancer Awareness Month’’; and 5 (3) calls on the people of the United States, in- 6 terested groups, the research community, and af- 7 fected persons to— 8 (A) promote awareness of bladder cancer 9 and foster understanding of the impact of the 10 disease on patients, their families, caregivers, 11 and their community; 12 (B) take an active role in the fight to end 13 bladder cancer; and 14 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:21 May 18, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR415.IH HR415 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 5 •HRES 415 IH (C) observe ‘‘National Bladder Cancer 1 Awareness Month’’ with appropriate ceremonies 2 and activities. 3 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:21 May 18, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR415.IH HR415 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB