House Resolution 11 - Introduced
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 11
BY GAINES and THEDE
1 A Resolution designating October 13, annually, as
2 Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day.
3 WHEREAS, in 2020 it was estimated that over 168,000
4 women in the United States were living with metastatic
5 breast cancer, also known as advanced breast cancer or
6 Stage IV breast cancer; and
7 WHEREAS, metastatic breast cancer arises months or
8 even years after a person has completed treatment for
9 locally advanced breast cancer with only approximately
10 6 percent of women having metastases when they are
11 first diagnosed with breast cancer; and
12 WHEREAS, this devastating stage of breast cancer
13 occurs when cancer spreads beyond the breast and nearby
14 lymph nodes to other parts of the body, most often the
15 bones, lungs, liver, or brain; and
16 WHEREAS, while metastatic breast cancer has spread
17 to another part of the body, it is still considered
18 breast cancer and treated as breast cancer; and
19 WHEREAS, approximately 30 percent of breast cancer
20 survivors eventually experience metastatic breast
21 cancer; and
22 WHEREAS, metastatic breast cancer affects all races
23 and socioeconomic classes; and
24 WHEREAS, while the greatest incidence of breast
25 cancer occurs in white women, breast cancer is the most
26 common cancer among African American women and the
27 mortality rate related to the disease is higher for
28 African American women; and
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1 WHEREAS, breast cancer is the most common cancer
2 diagnosed in Hispanic/Latina women, Hispanic/Latina
3 women tend to be diagnosed with later stage breast
4 cancers than non-Hispanic white women, and breast
5 cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death for
6 Hispanic/Latina women; and
7 WHEREAS, while no cure exists for metastatic breast
8 cancer, metastatic breast cancer is treatable, with
9 treatment focusing on extending life and maintaining
10 quality of life; and
11 WHEREAS, approximately one-third of women diagnosed
12 with metastatic breast cancer in the United States live
13 at least five years after diagnosis with some living 10
14 or more years beyond diagnosis; and
15 WHEREAS, even though there has been tremendous
16 progress in the last 30 years related to early
17 detection and routine diagnosis of breast cancer, there
18 has not been as much progress related to the treatment
19 of metastatic breast cancer; and
20 WHEREAS, while statistics are collected for initial
21 diagnoses of metastatic breast cancer, statistics
22 on metastatic recurrences which comprise the larger
23 portion of metastatic breast cancer cases is not
24 routinely collected or reported in the United States,
25 thereby limiting health care planning and the capacity
26 to better serve these women; and
27 WHEREAS, for patients and families, the health
28 and economic burdens of metastatic breast cancer are
29 substantial and these patients continue to face many
30 unique challenges, such as the emotional and physical
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1 demands of treatment; and
2 WHEREAS, only about 2 percent of every $1 million
3 spent on breast cancer research goes toward metastatic
4 research; and
5 WHEREAS, additional research efforts are needed on
6 topics related to the personal and social burdens of
7 metastatic breast cancer, the needs of the patient,
8 and the development of new and more effective
9 treatments; and
10 WHEREAS, the observation of Metastatic Breast
11 Cancer Awareness Day sheds light on the devastation
12 that metastatic breast cancer brings to communities
13 throughout Iowa and may accelerate the funding of and
14 attention to additional research; NOW THEREFORE,
15 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, That
16 the House of Representatives designates October 13,
17 annually, as Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day,
18 and requests the residents of Iowa, on that day, become
19 informed about and aware of metastatic breast cancer,
20 its devastating and lasting effects on Iowa families,
21 and the need for more specific data collection and
22 additional research.
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