Assembly Resolution No. 2416

BY: M. of A. Rules (Rosenthal L)

MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
November 9, 2024, 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 Kathy Hochul to proclaim November 9, 2024, as Lung
Cancer Screening Awareness Day in the State of New York; and

WHEREAS, According to the American Cancer Society, over 238,000
Americans will be newly diagnosed with lung cancer this year and over
127,000 will die from the disease making it 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 over 14,000 estimated new cases of the disease
in New York State in 2024, and an estimated 6,000 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 a
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 the
American Cancer Society only 6.5 percent of the eight and a half 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, For non-small cell lung cancer, the most common lung
cancer, the 5-year survival rate is 65% when found at a localized stage
but only 9% when found at a distant stage; and

WHEREAS, Only 31.0% of non-small cell lung cancer cases are caught
at an early stage in New York; 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 53rd 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 Kathy Hochul to proclaim November 9, 2024, 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 Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York; the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network New York; and
the American Lung Association in New York.