On October 23, the Senate approved, by unanimous consent, a resolution (S. Res. 252) designating February 2004 as “National Cancer Prevention Month.” Sponsored by Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-SC), the resolution states that each year, over 550,000 Americans die from cancer.
“Research shows that proper nutrition, adequate physical activity, smoking cessation, and receiving timely screening procedures can all reduce cancer occurrences,” stated Sen. Hollings, adding: “Unfortunately, many Americans do not take this advice…Only 50 percent of individuals receive the recommended screening for colon cancer, only 60 percent of men receive a timely prostate-specific antigen test, and 70 percent of women receive recommended mammographies.”
