House Supports National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

On November 7, the House approved, 348-0, a resolution (H. Res. 444) supporting the goals and ideals of National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. The resolution states that early detection and awareness of ovarian cancer is the best way to increase the survival rate of women with the disease and declares that there should be adequate funding for ovarian cancer research to develop a reliable screening test and find a cure.

Sponsored by Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX), the resolution contains a number of findings, including:

• Ovarian cancer is a serious and under-recognized threat to women’s health;
• Ovarian cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death among women living in the United States;
• Only 19 percent of ovarian cancer cases in the United States are diagnosed in the early stages;
• In cases where ovarian cancer is detected before it has spread beyond the ovaries, more than 94 percent of women will survive longer than five years;
• Many people do not know that ovarian cancer often presents with persistent symptoms such as abdominal pressure, bloating, discomfort, nausea, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, frequent urination, abnormal bleeding, unusual fatigue, unexplained weight loss or gain, and shortness of breath;
• Many people do not know that certain women are at higher risk for developing ovarian cancer if they have risk factors, including increasing age, a personal or family history of ovarian, breast, or colon cancer, and not having had children;
• Raising public awareness of ovarian cancer by educating doctors and women about the disease will save lives;
• Ovarian cancer research is needed to develop early detection tools, prevention methods, enhanced therapies, and a cure;
• There is still no reliable and easy-to-administer screening test for ovarian cancer; and
• President George W. Bush has proclaimed September 2005 as National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

“While it is heartening to see that Americans’ risk of dying from cancer continues to decline every year, it is unfortunate that ovarian cancer does not follow this trend,” stated Rep. Hall, adding, “In fact, the Ovarian Cancer Institute statistics demonstrate a woman’s risk of dying from ovarian cancer is no less today than it was 10 years ago. Unfortunately, funding for ovarian cancer research decreased from fiscal year 2003 to fiscal year 2004 by $7 million.”

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) stated, “As the House considers H. Res. 444 today, approximately 44 women will die of ovarian cancer. For the one woman in every 58 women in this country who is at risk of developing ovarian cancer in her lifetime, public awareness and early diagnosis are the keys to her survival.”