SLS 22RS-1218 ORIGINAL
2022 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 24
BY SENATOR BOUDREAUX
SPECIAL DAY/WEEK/MONTH. Designates March 2022 as Triple-Negative Breast
Cancer Awareness Month in Louisiana.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To designate March 2022 as Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Louisiana.
3 WHEREAS, breast cancer is among the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the
4 second leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States; and
5 WHEREAS, approximately 287,850 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be
6 diagnosed in women and nearly 43,250 will die with this malignancy in 2022; and
7 WHEREAS, triple-negative breast cancer is one of many forms of breast cancer and
8 accounts for about 15 to 30 percent of all diagnosed invasive breast cancer cases in the
9 United States; and
10 WHEREAS, of the new breast cancer cases diagnosed in 2019 in the United States,
11 more than 53,700 were triple-negative breast cancer with higher prevalence among younger
12 women, black and hispanic women, women with type 2 diabetes or carrying excess weight
13 in the abdomen area, and those with BReast CAncer 1 mutations; and
14 WHEREAS, due to its aggressive behavior, triple-negative breast cancer grows
15 quickly and is more likely to have spread at the time it is found and is more likely to come
16 back after treatment than other types of breast cancer; and
17 WHEREAS, people diagnosed with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer have a
18 less than 30 percent chance of surviving past five years; and
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SLS 22RS-1218 ORIGINAL
1 WHEREAS, triple-negative breast cancer cells are considered negative for the three
2 key receptors that medicines typically target in other types of breast cancers leaving limited
3 treatment options; and
4 WHEREAS, patients with an early diagnosis of breast cancer can often be treated
5 with chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery; however, there are limited therapies available
6 for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer making it a challenge for clinicians; and
7 WHEREAS, recent therapeutic innovations have fueled impressive advancements
8 in the fight against triple-negative breast cancer; and
9 WHEREAS, studies have shown that triple-negative breast cancer disease-specific
10 mortality rates are often higher if patients have Medicaid or Medicare or are of lower
11 socioeconomic status; and
12 WHEREAS, studies also show that, compared with non-hispanic white women, black
13 women are 48 percent less likely to receive guideline-adherent care, and thus have a twofold
14 higher mortality incidence than their white counterparts; and
15 WHEREAS, over the last few decades, advances in screening and treatment have led
16 to a reduction in the overall breast cancer mortality rate over the last few decades; even so,
17 the disproportionate impact of triple-negative breast cancer on minority communities raises
18 the question of the underlying determinants that drive the disparities in health outcomes; and
19 WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper for the Legislature of Louisiana to promote
20 education about triple-negative breast cancer, to raise awareness about the aforementioned
21 disparities with respect to treatment of the disease and health outcomes, and to address
22 inequities within the health care system with respect to screening, diagnostic testing, and
23 care that hinder early detection and treatment of the disease.
24 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Louisiana Senate does hereby designate
25 March 2022 as Triple Negative Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Louisiana and does
26 hereby express support for health promotion initiatives and legislation that target
27 underserved communities with respect to the treatment of this dreadful disease.
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SLS 22RS-1218 ORIGINAL
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Kenyatta M. Honeycutt.
DIGEST
SR 24 Original 2022 Regular Session Boudreaux
Designates March 2022 as Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Louisiana.
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