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Senate Resolution

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A resolution recognizing April 2008 as Cancer Control

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Awareness Month in Florida.

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     WHEREAS, cancer will strike approximately one out of two men

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and about one out of every three women in the course of their

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lives, and

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     WHEREAS, cancer accounts for one out every four deaths, and is

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the second-leading cause of death in the United States, and

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     WHEREAS, the American Cancer Society estimates that more

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than 101,920 new cases of cancer in Florida will be diagnosed and

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more than 41,660 Floridians will die from cancer in 2008, and

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     WHEREAS, many cancers can be prevented by lifestyle changes

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or cured if detected early and treated promptly, and

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     WHEREAS, as many as one-third of the cancer deaths occurring

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each year are related to nutrition, physical inactivity, obesity,

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and other lifestyle factors, and thus might have been prevented,

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and

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     WHEREAS, almost half of all individuals who continue to

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smoke may expect to die prematurely from lung cancer or other

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tobacco-related diseases, and

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     WHEREAS, 30 percent of all cancer deaths and 87 percent of

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all lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking cigarettes or other

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tobacco products, and

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     WHEREAS, the 5-year survival rate for all cancers combined

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is 66 percent, but survival rates may increase even more for

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certain cancers such as breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers

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if they are detected and treated early, and

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     WHEREAS, rates of cancer incidence and death in Florida may

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be significantly reduced through increased awareness of the

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American Cancer Society's cancer-screening guidelines and

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compliance with those guidelines, and

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     WHEREAS, promotion of Cancer Control Awareness Month and

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statewide cancer-control initiatives, such as the Florida

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Dialogue on Cancer sponsored by the American Cancer Society, may

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assist Florida in significantly reducing the burden of cancer

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that Floridians and the state currently confront, NOW, THEREFORE,

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Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:

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     That the Senate recognizes the month of April 2008 as

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"Cancer Control Awareness Month" in Florida and urges all

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Floridians to understand the risks associated with cancer, to

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change behaviors that increase their cancer risks, and to follow

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the American Cancer Society cancer-screening guidelines.