Assembly Resolution No. 394
BY: M. of A. Rosenthal L
MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim
November 1, 2021, as Lung Cancer Screening Awareness
Day in the State of New York
WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize
official days that are set aside to increase awareness of serious health
issues that affect the lives of citizens of New York State; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, it is the sense of this Legislative Body to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim November 1, 2021, as
Lung Cancer Screening Awareness Day in the State of New York; and
WHEREAS, According to the American Cancer Society, 235,760 Americans
will be newly diagnosed with lung cancer this year and lung cancer is
the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer-related death
in New York State, with close to 14,000 New York State residents being
diagnosed with the disease in 2021, and an estimated 6,860 New Yorkers
will die from lung cancer this year; and
WHEREAS, Any person is at risk for developing lung cancer, as there
are many risk factors including smoking, family history, environmental
causes and other lifestyle factors; and
WHEREAS, Nearly half of lung cancer cases are not detected until it
is too late, and the survival rate is only six percent for those
diagnosed at a late stage; and
WHEREAS, The screening and early detection of lung cancer are vital
to the health and well-being of New York State residents; and
WHEREAS, More needs to be done to educate high-risk Americans about
lung cancer, as it accounts for more deaths than breast, prostate, and
colorectal cancer combined; and
WHEREAS, The United States Preventative Services Task Force
recommends annual screening for lung cancer with low-dose computed
tomography (LDCT) in adults aged 50 to 80 years who have a 20 pack-year
smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15
years; screening people who are at high risk for lung cancer can find
lung cancer at an early stage and improve their chances of surviving;
and
WHEREAS, Lung cancer screening with low-dose CT scans has been
recommended for those at high risk since 2013, but according to a new
report released in 2020 by the American Lung Association (ALA), only 5.7
percent of the eight million people who are at high-risk for developing
the disease are actually undergoing screening; and
WHEREAS, Lung cancer screening with low-dose CT scans has been shown
to decrease mortality by 20 percent; and
WHEREAS, Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, cross-sectional
analyses have revealed a 46-percent plummet in new cancer diagnoses
nationwide across six common forms of cancer, including lung cancer; and
WHEREAS, The National Cancer Institute (NCI) states that lung cancer
screenings can find abnormal tissues or lung cancer at an early stage,
before a person has symptoms, and can make lung cancer easier to treat
and achieve higher survival rates; waiting to treat until after symptoms
appear may increase the likelihood the cancer has already metastasized;
and
WHEREAS, This year marks the 50th Anniversary of passing the
National Cancer Act, yet screening for and education of lung cancer
continues to be alarmingly low compared to other forms of cancer; and
WHEREAS, It is imperative that there be greater public awareness
about the risk of lung cancer to New Yorkers and the importance for New
York citizens to talk to their healthcare provider about recommended
lung cancer screenings, and be screened with low-dose CT scans as
appropriate; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim November 1, 2021, as
Lung Cancer Screening Awareness Day in the State of New York; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of
New York; the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network New York;
and the American Lung Association in New York.
