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PRINTER'S NO. 884
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 102
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY MIHALEK, MARCH 10, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES, MARCH 10, 2025
A RESOLUTION
Designating the month of March 2025 as "Colorectal Cancer
Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Colorectal cancer is cancer in either the colon or
the rectum; and
WHEREAS, Colorectal cancer is usually related to polyps which
form in the colon or rectum and can spread through nearby
tissues or lymph nodes and possibly spread to other organs; and
WHEREAS, Symptoms of colorectal cancer can include blood in
or on stool, stomach pain, aches or cramps that do not go away
and unexplained weight loss; and
WHEREAS, Colorectal cancer is a serious diagnosis that can
upend a person's life; and
WHEREAS, One in 24 people will be diagnosed with colorectal
cancer in their lifetime; and
WHEREAS, Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly
diagnosed cancer; and
WHEREAS, In 2025, an estimated 154,270 new cases of
colorectal cancer will be diagnosed in the United States; and
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WHEREAS, By 2030, colorectal cancer is expected to be the
number one cancer killer for those individuals between 20 and 49
years of age; and
WHEREAS, A colonoscopy is the gold standard of colon cancer
screening because the procedure can both diagnose colon cancer
and remove polyps that can become cancerous; and
WHEREAS, A colonoscopy limits the likelihood of new cases of
colon cancer by 69% and reduces the chance of dying by 88%; and
WHEREAS, The Department of Health recommends that a person be
screened for colorectal cancer between 45 and 75 years of age,
as the risk of developing colorectal cancer increases with age;
and
WHEREAS, Just 66% of Pennsylvania adults over 45 years of age
have been screened for colorectal cancer; and
WHEREAS, Screening for colorectal cancer is important because
symptoms may not be present, especially in early stages; and
WHEREAS, Sixty-eight percent of deaths from colorectal cancer
could be prevented with screening; and
WHEREAS, The five-year survival rate of localized colorectal
cancer is 90%; and
WHEREAS, There are more than 1.5 million colorectal cancer
survivors in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Some patients with colorectal cancer have a
temporary or permanent stoma, or opening in the abdomen,
following surgery and an estimated 750,000 to 1,000,000
Americans have an ostomy; and
WHEREAS, Rates of colorectal cancer are different across race
and ethnicity; and
WHEREAS, Black Americans are 20% more likely to have
colorectal cancer and 40% more likely to die from it; and
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WHEREAS, Native communities face the highest rate of cases
out of any ethnic group; and
WHEREAS, Incidence rates for colorectal cancer have declined
more than 50% between 1985 and 2020; and
WHEREAS, Despite the decline in this disease over the past
four decades, colorectal cancer is still the second most deadly
cancer in this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, Among the top five most deadly cancers, colorectal
cancer is the only one that does not have its own research
program and dedicated funding stream; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
month of March 2025 as "Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month" in
Pennsylvania.
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