By Carona S.C.R. No. 29 77R5786 MMS-D CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of 1-2 cancer death for men and women combined in the United States, and 1-3 in the year 2001 the disease is expected to kill an estimated 1-4 60,000 individuals in this country; and 1-5 WHEREAS, More than 8,000 individuals in Texas were diagnosed 1-6 with colorectal cancer in the year 2000, and it is estimated that 1-7 in the year 2001 more than 130,000 new cases of colorectal cancer 1-8 will be diagnosed in the United States; and 1-9 WHEREAS, Adopting a healthy diet at a young age can 1-10 significantly reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer, and 1-11 the importance of a good diet to overall health is being 1-12 highlighted by the designation of March as National Nutrition 1-13 Awareness Month; and 1-14 WHEREAS, Regular exams also play an important role in 1-15 fighting colorectal cancer, for periodic screenings can detect 1-16 polyps that lead to this disease; moreover, when colorectal cancer 1-17 is detected in the early stages, the survival rate is over 90 1-18 percent; and 1-19 WHEREAS, In spite of the great benefit of screening for 1-20 colorectal cancer, less than 50 percent of individuals above the 1-21 age of 50 receive annual screenings for this disorder; and 1-22 WHEREAS, Education about methods of prevention and the 1-23 importance of screening for early symptoms can play a significant 1-24 role in promoting the health of Texas citizens, and the State of 2-1 Texas should help inform the public about colorectal cancer 2-2 prevention and screening; now, therefore, be it 2-3 RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas 2-4 hereby designate March 2001 as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in 2-5 Texas and encourage all citizens to learn more about the prevention 2-6 and early detection of this widespread disease.