SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 5
1. WHEREAS, following breast cancer, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide; and
WHEREAS, according to federal governmental statistics, cervical cancer is the third most common gynecological cancer among American women, with approximately 12,200 new cases diagnosed annually, 4,100 of which result in fatalities; and
WHEREAS, with regular and accurate screening, cervical cancer is highly preventable; widespread screening programs have helped to reduce death rates of women from cervical cancer, but women are still dying even with such advanced medical techniques and evaluative procedures; and
WHEREAS, cervical cancer cases in the United States are generally attributed to a lack of education, a reduction of access available to regular cervical cancer screening, and a lack of screening accuracy; and
WHEREAS, experience shows that increasing cervical cancer awareness among women, especially the underserved women within our state, significantly reduces the probability of mortality; and
WHEREAS, cervical cancer disproportionately affects minority women and women with lower incomes because they are less likely to have access to routine screening; and
WHEREAS, approximately half of all cervical cancer cases are in women who have never been screened, and ten percent of cases are in women who have not been screened within the last five years; and
WHEREAS, the median age of cervical cancer patients at diagnosis is 47 years, the youngest median age for all female reproductive cancers; and
WHEREAS, new screening technologies, including FDA-approved testing for human papillomavirus, which is the cause of virtually all cervical cancers, offer new opportunities to finally eliminate this potentially deadly disease through early identification of women at increased risk; and
WHEREAS, leading medical organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Cancer Society, and the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, have recently updated their screening guidelines to include FDA-approved testing for the human papillomavirus; and
WHEREAS, women are entitled to proper cervical cancer information, so that they can be empowered to make informed healthcare decisions, and access to routine screening, including the most accurate methods available; and
WHEREAS, the Missouri General Assembly recognizes that through education and screening, women can lower their likelihood for developing cervical cancer, and that through early detection, cervical cancer can be successfully treated after it develops:
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the members of the Missouri Senate, Ninety-Third General Assembly, First Regular Session, the House of Representatives concurring therein, hereby supports the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the Missouri Cancer Consortium in taking the lead in formulating the Comprehensive Cancer Action Plan for Missouri, including the review of data regarding cervical cancer and human papillomavirus of women in Missouri, evaluating current methods used to provide women with information regarding cervical cancer, access to regular screening, and options for increasing screening accuracy. The Missouri General Assembly supports the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the Missouri Cancer Consortium in the identification of pockets of need, priority strategies, and new technologies, including newly introduced therapies and preventive vaccines which are effective in preventing and controlling cervical cancer; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Comprehensive Cancer Action Plan for Missouri, which serves as a nationwide model of effective cancer control strategies, be presented yearly to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, President Pro Tem of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and to be posted on the Missouri state website homepage; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Missouri Senate be instructed to prepare properly inscribed copies of this resolution for the Governor of Missouri, the Director of the Department of Health and Senior Services and the Director of the Missouri Cancer Consortium.