BILL NUMBER: HR 29INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Campos AUGUST 19, 2015 Relative to Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST HOUSE OR SENATE RESOLUTIONS DO NOT CONTAIN A DIGEST WHEREAS, Each year in the United States, over 20,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and about 14,500 women die of this disease; and WHEREAS, If diagnosed and treated at an early stage before the cancer spreads outside of the ovary, the treatment is potentially less costly, and the five-year survival rate is higher, at approximately 70 percent. However, fewer than 20 percent of ovarian cancer patients are diagnosed early. An overwhelming 80 percent of all ovarian cancer patients are diagnosed at advanced stages; and WHEREAS, Although mortality rates for other cancers have been reduced due to the capabilities of early detection and enhanced treatments, ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. Unfortunately, women with ovarian cancer do not share the luxury of early detection. This cancer is among the deadliest of all gynecologic cancers; and WHEREAS, Ovarian cancer has been predicted to reach epidemic proportions as the population ages because advancing age is one of the known risk factors for the development of ovarian cancer. About 90 percent of women who get ovarian cancer are older than 40 years of age, with the greatest number of cases occurring in women 60 years of age or older; and WHEREAS, The symptoms of ovarian cancer are vague and not well known by the public. While ovarian cancer is the ninth most common cancer among the female population, it is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women; and WHEREAS, When ovarian cancer is found in its early stages, treatment works best. Ovarian cancer often causes signs and symptoms, so it is important for women to pay attention to their bodies and know what is normal for them. Symptoms may be caused by something other than cancer, but the only way to know is for women to see their doctor, nurse, or other health care professional; and WHEREAS, It is critical for women, physicians, and all health care providers to recognize the risk factors and symptoms of gynecologic cancers and to remember the importance of early detection in preventing and treating this disease; and WHEREAS, It is incumbent upon the citizens of the State of California to work together as concerned people to increase research in understanding the causes, finding effective screening and prevention strategies, and developing improved therapies for ovarian cancers; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly hereby recognizes the month of September 2015, and every September thereafter, as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month throughout the State of California, and encourages and promotes the efforts of the people and the health care practitioners of the state to increase their awareness of this disease and to educate themselves about its early detection and prevention, the risk factors involved in its development, and the early warning symptoms and signs; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.