2019 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 138
BY SENATOR MILLS
A RESOLUTION
To designate September 2019 as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in Louisiana.
WHEREAS, prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among men in
Louisiana and the second most frequently diagnosed in men worldwide; and
WHEREAS, despite its frequency of diagnosis, if the cancer is detected in the early
stages, the survival rate is nearly one hundred percent; and
WHEREAS, one in nine men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his
lifetime; and
WHEREAS, the best news about prostate cancer is that screening for prostate cancer
is fairly easy with only a blood test, in the early stages; and
WHEREAS, common risk factors for prostate cancer include; age, as roughly sixty
percent of cases are diagnosed in men sixty-five years of age or older, the risk for a prostate
cancer diagnosis doubles in men with a father or brother who have had prostate cancer, there
is some evidence that the risk increases for those who have a diet that is high in saturated fat;
and African-American men are more likely to be diagnosed later in life and those who are
diagnosed, are nearly twice as likely to die from the disease; and
WHEREAS, symptoms include a variety of difficulties with urination, including
pain, and pain in the back, hips, or pelvis that persists; and
WHEREAS, screening by a simple blood test can detect the presence of elevated
levels of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA), which is an indicator of cancer; and
WHEREAS, while the blood test is not one hundred percent accurate, it is
recommended for men, generally, at age fifty and at age forty-five for those with family
members with prostate cancer; and
WHEREAS, as a cancer that is easily detectable with only a blood test, prostate
cancer could become a lessening cause of death, if screening begins fairly early, so it is
essential that men over fifty have the PSA screening test annually and keep a healthy weight,
which is the most effective step to be taken to avoid a diagnosis of prostate cancer; and
Page 1 of 2 SR NO. 138 ENROLLED
WHEREAS, despite being a cancer that is easily detectable in the early stages and
nearly one hundred percent curable at that point, prostate cancer remains the second leading
cause of cancer death in American men, second only to lung cancer, and about one in every
forty-one American men will die from prostate cancer; and
WHEREAS, clearly the issue with prostate cancer is not that there are not effective
treatments, or that diagnosis is difficult, the issue is awareness of the need to have the simple
blood test that will detect it in the early stages, the American Cancer Society has designated
the month of September as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and with a high rate of
prostate cancer among Louisiana men, it is fitting that Louisiana should participate in this
outreach effort.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby designate September 2019 as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
Baton Rouge chapter of the American Cancer Society.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
Page 2 of 2