| R 266 |
| 2025 -- H 6303 Enacted 05/06/2025 |
| H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N |
| PROCLAIMING THE SECOND WEEK IN MAY OF 2025 TO BE “LUNG CANCER ACTION WEEK” IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND |
Introduced By: Representatives Azzinaro, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Kennedy, Chippendale, Costantino, Lima, Corvese, Finkelman, and Bennett |
| Date Introduced: May 06, 2025 |
| WHEREAS, The American Lung Association’s LUNG FORCE initiative has been |
| working to ensure that fewer people are diagnosed with lung cancer and those living with the |
| disease live longer since 2014; and |
| WHEREAS, Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death among individuals |
| in the United States, accounting for more deaths than colon cancer, breast cancer, and prostate |
| cancer combined; and |
| WHEREAS, Lung cancer screening saves lives, and advocacy and increased awareness |
| will result in more high-risk individuals getting screened; and |
| WHEREAS, One in 16 men and one in 17 women in the United States will develop lung |
| cancer during their lifetimes, and approximately 70 percent of adults are not familiar with lung |
| cancer screening and the low-dose computed tomography scan; and |
| WHEREAS, The rate of lung cancer death in women in the United States has increased |
| by 92 percent over the 50-year span from 1971 to 2021, and each year, more women die from |
| lung cancer than from breast cancer and ovarian cancer combined; and |
| WHEREAS, Eighteen percent of lung cancers are unrelated to smoking, and the |
| proportion of lung cancers diagnosed in individuals who have never smoked is increasing in the |
| United States. The 5-year survival rate for localized lung cancer is 63 percent, yet a majority of |
| lung cancers are diagnosed at a distant stage, for which the 5-year survival rate is 8 percent, and |
| WHEREAS, Screening with low-dose computed tomography can detect lung cancer in its |
| earliest stages and ultimately save lives, yet only 3 to 7 percent of individuals in the United States |
| at high risk for lung cancer undergo lung cancer screening; and |
| WHEREAS, Veterans are 25 percent more likely to develop lung cancer compared to the |
| general public, and, although approximately 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 veterans have an elevated |
| risk of lung cancer and are eligible for screening, less than 3 percent of veterans get screened; and |
| WHEREAS, Black men have the highest incidence of lung cancer and the highest |
| mortality rate from lung cancer in the United States, and non-White individuals are 14 to 17 |
| percent less likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer early; and |
| WHEREAS, Lung cancer research is leading to breakthroughs in biomarker identification |
| and the development of immunotherapies and targeted therapies that are highly effective for some |
| cancer subtypes, yet accessing cutting-edge testing as part of the lung cancer diagnostic process |
| can be difficult. Public support for research funding will result in new treatments and better |
| methods of early detection; and |
| WHEREAS, LUNG FORCE is a national initiative led by the American Lung |
| Association, to defeat lung cancer; and |
| WHEREAS, Educational efforts can increase awareness of lung cancer and lung cancer |
| screening among the general public, patients and their families, and health care workers, thereby |
| increasing the early detection of lung cancer; now, therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby |
| designates the second week in May as Lung Cancer Action Week throughout Rhode Island in |
| order to promote efforts to increase awareness of lung cancer education, and research on |
| mitigation of risk factors, lung cancer screening, treatment of lung cancer, and lung cancer issues |
| affecting minorities and individuals who have never smoked. This House also encourages the |
| people of Rhode Island to observe Lung Cancer Action Week with appreciation and awareness of |
| educational activities to learn more about lung cancer, its risk factors, and early detection and the |
| best ways to take preemptive action; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
| transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the American Lung Association. |
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| LC002702 |
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