Washington, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge, the only N.C. member of the House Ways and Means Committee, announced last week that the U.S. Senate passed his resolution to support the designation of an ‘Early Detection Month’ for all forms of cancer.
The measure was championed in the Senate by U.S. Senator Kay Hagan.
“I’m living proof that early detection is the key to beating cancer,” said Etheridge whose own melanoma was diagnosed in early progression more than ten years ago and subsequently treated successfully. It has been in remission since the successful treatment. “No family in North Carolina or anywhere in the country should face the loss of a loved one simply because the cancer wasn’t caught in time. Early Detection Month will raise awareness and promote life-saving cancer screenings.”
In June of 2009, Representative Etheridge introduced House Concurrent Resolution 158 to support the creation of an Early Detection Month. The measure passed the House in January 2010 and passed the Senate late Wednesday. U.S. Senator Kay Hagan sponsored the Senate version of the resolution, Senate Concurrent Resolution 38. The designation of an Early Detection Month will enhance public awareness of screening for breast cancer and all forms of cancer by encouraging activities to educate the public about early detection and cancer screening. Early detection of cancer, before it requires expensive medical treatment, saves tens of thousands of lives annually, and also greatly reduces the financial strain on government and private health care services.
“Early detection saves lives,” Hagan said. “I strongly support raising awareness about the importance of early detection to treat and defeat cancer. I’m pleased the Senate has passed the Etheridge resolution to promote this important effort, which can make a real difference for the health of our North Carolina families.”
Last year, there were 42,270 new cases of cancer in North Carolina. Each year, almost 1.5 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer and more than one third of these cases result in death. In fact, cancer is responsible for 1 in every 4 deaths in the country. Cancer survivors and their families know that early detection is critical to obtaining treatment to mitigate the effects of cancer and save lives.