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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, March is Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Awareness |
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Month, and this occasion provides a fitting opportunity to promote |
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better understanding of this health issue; and |
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WHEREAS, Breast cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed |
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cancers and the second leading cause of cancer death among women in |
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the United States; the American Cancer Society estimates that in |
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2023, approximately 298,000 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed, |
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and more than 43,000 women will lose their lives to the disease; and |
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WHEREAS, One of the many forms of breast cancer, |
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triple-negative breast cancer, or TNBC, accounts for about 15 to 20 |
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percent of all diagnosed invasive breast cancer cases in the |
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nation, with over 53,700 new cases identified in 2019; and |
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WHEREAS, Due to its aggressive behavior, TNBC grows quickly, |
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and it is more likely to have spread by the time of detection and to |
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come back after treatment than other types of breast cancer; people |
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diagnosed with metastatic TNBC have less than a 30 percent chance of |
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surviving longer than five years; and |
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WHEREAS, Triple-negative breast cancer cells do not contain |
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three key receptors that medicines typically target in other types |
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of breast cancers; therefore, there are limited options available |
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for treatment; patients with an early diagnosis can often be |
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treated with chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, and recent |
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innovations in targeted therapies have fueled the fight against the |
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disease; and |
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WHEREAS, Triple-negative breast cancer disproportionately |
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affects younger women, Black and Hispanic women, women with type 2 |
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diabetes or excess weight in the abdomen, and those with BRCA1 |
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mutations; studies have shown that disease-specific mortality |
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rates are often higher in patients of lower socioeconomic status, |
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and compared to non-Hispanic white women, Black women are 48 |
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percent less likely to receive guideline-adherent care and around |
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twice as likely to die from the disease; and |
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WHEREAS, While advances in screening and treatment have |
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reduced the overall breast cancer mortality rate over the last few |
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decades, the disproportionate impact of TNBC on racial and ethnic |
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minority communities calls for a heightened awareness about the |
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disease-related disparities in order to tackle inequities in health |
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care delivery such as inadequate access to screening, diagnostic |
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testing, and care; and |
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WHEREAS, TNBC is a serious and life-threatening disease, and |
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the observance of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Awareness Month |
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serves as a means of rallying support for increased early detection |
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and ensuring quality care for all women; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize March 2023 as Triple-Negative Breast |
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Cancer Awareness Month and urge all Texans to learn more about the |
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disease. |