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
1 Designating the month of March 2025 as "Colorectal Cancer
2 Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, Colorectal cancer is cancer in either the colon or
4 the rectum; and
5 WHEREAS, Colorectal cancer is usually related to polyps which
6 form in the colon or rectum and can spread through nearby
7 tissues or lymph nodes and possibly spread to other organs; and
8 WHEREAS, Symptoms of colorectal cancer can include blood in
9 or on stool, stomach pain, aches or cramps that do not go away
10 and unexplained weight loss; and
11 WHEREAS, Colorectal cancer is a serious diagnosis that can
12 upend a person's life; and
13 WHEREAS, One in 24 people will be diagnosed with colorectal
14 cancer in their lifetime; and
15 WHEREAS, Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly
16 diagnosed cancer; and
17 WHEREAS, In 2025, an estimated 154,270 new cases of
18 colorectal cancer will be diagnosed in the United States; and
 1 WHEREAS, By 2030, colorectal cancer is expected to be the
2 number one cancer killer for those individuals between 20 and 49
3 years of age; and
4 WHEREAS, A colonoscopy is the gold standard of colon cancer
5 screening because the procedure can both diagnose colon cancer
6 and remove polyps that can become cancerous; and
7 WHEREAS, A colonoscopy limits the likelihood of new cases of
8 colon cancer by 69% and reduces the chance of dying by 88%; and
9 WHEREAS, The Department of Health recommends that a person be
10 screened for colorectal cancer between 45 and 75 years of age,
11 as the risk of developing colorectal cancer increases with age;
12 and
13 WHEREAS, Just 66% of Pennsylvania adults over 45 years of age
14 have been screened for colorectal cancer; and
15 WHEREAS, Screening for colorectal cancer is important because
16 symptoms may not be present, especially in early stages; and
17 WHEREAS, Sixty-eight percent of deaths from colorectal cancer
18 could be prevented with screening; and
19 WHEREAS, The five-year survival rate of localized colorectal
20 cancer is 90%; and
21 WHEREAS, There are more than 1.5 million colorectal cancer
22 survivors in the United States; and
23 WHEREAS, Some patients with colorectal cancer have a
24 temporary or permanent stoma, or opening in the abdomen,
25 following surgery and an estimated 750,000 to 1,000,000
26 Americans have an ostomy; and
27 WHEREAS, Rates of colorectal cancer are different across race
28 and ethnicity; and
29 WHEREAS, Black Americans are 20% more likely to have
30 colorectal cancer and 40% more likely to die from it; and
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 1 WHEREAS, Native communities face the highest rate of cases
2 out of any ethnic group; and
3 WHEREAS, Incidence rates for colorectal cancer have declined
4 more than 50% between 1985 and 2020; and
5 WHEREAS, Despite the decline in this disease over the past
6 four decades, colorectal cancer is still the second most deadly
7 cancer in this Commonwealth; and
8 WHEREAS, Among the top five most deadly cancers, colorectal
9 cancer is the only one that does not have its own research
10 program and dedicated funding stream; therefore be it
11 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
12 month of March 2025 as "Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month" in
13 Pennsylvania.
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