HR 9105

1	House Resolution
2	A resolution recognizing March 2005 as Colon Cancer
3	Awareness Month in Florida.
4
5	WHEREAS, colon cancer is one of the most prevalent yet, in
6	most cases, preventable cancers and is the second most common
7	cause of death among adult men and women in the State of
8	Florida, and
9	WHEREAS, it is possible to have colon or rectal cancer and
10	not have any cancer symptoms, and
11	WHEREAS, the risk for colon cancer is highest among older
12	adults, with more than 90 percent of all colon and rectal
13	cancers diagnosed in adults age 50 or older, and
14	WHEREAS, the Florida Division of the American Cancer
15	Society estimates that 9,860 new cases of colon cancer will be
16	diagnosed among Floridians in 2005 and that approximately 3,820
17	state residents will die from the disease this year, and
18	WHEREAS, Floridians can significantly lower the number of
19	incidents of colon cancer and deaths from this disease by
20	complying with the American Cancer Society's colon and rectal
21	cancer screening guidelines, which include beginning testing at
22	age 50, and
23	WHEREAS, approximately 49 percent of Floridians age 50 and
24	older report never having received a sigmoidoscopy or
25	colonoscopy exam, two of the screening exams recommended by the
26	American Cancer Society, and
27	WHEREAS, regular screenings may lower death rates by
28	detecting the disease at its earliest and most treatable stages
29	and may also prevent some cancers through the detection and
30	removal of polyps, NOW, THEREFORE,
31
32	Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of
33	Florida:
34
35	That March 2005 is recognized as Colon Cancer Awareness
36	Month in Florida, and all men and women are urged to understand
37	the risks associated with colon cancer, to take preventive steps
38	to minimize those risks, and to undergo early detection
39	procedures in compliance with the American Cancer Society's
40	recommended colon cancer screening guidelines.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.