2022 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 24
BY SENATORS BOUDREAUX, ABRAHAM, BARROW, BERNARD, BOUIE,
CARTER, CLOUD, CONNICK, CORTEZ, FESI, FIELDS, FOIL,
HARRIS, HENRY, HENSGENS, HEWITT, JACKSON, LAMBERT,
LUNEAU, MCMATH, MILLIGAN, FRED MILLS, ROBERT MILLS,
MIZELL, MORRIS, PEACOCK, PETERSON, POPE, PRICE, REESE,
SMITH, STINE, TALBOT, TARVER, WARD, WHITE AND
WOMACK
A RESOLUTION
To designate March 2022 as Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Louisiana.
WHEREAS, breast cancer is among the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the
second leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States; and
WHEREAS, approximately 287,850 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be
diagnosed in women and nearly 43,250 will die with this malignancy in 2022; and
WHEREAS, triple-negative breast cancer is one of many forms of breast cancer and
accounts for about 15 to 30 percent of all diagnosed invasive breast cancer cases in the
United States; and
WHEREAS, of the new breast cancer cases diagnosed in 2019 in the United States,
more than 53,700 were triple-negative breast cancer with higher prevalence among younger
women, black and hispanic women, women with type 2 diabetes or carrying excess weight
in the abdomen area, and those with breast cancer 1 mutations; and
WHEREAS, due to its aggressive behavior, triple-negative breast cancer grows
quickly and is more likely to have spread at the time it is found and is more likely to come
back after treatment than other types of breast cancer; and
WHEREAS, people diagnosed with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer have a
less than 30 percent chance of surviving past five years; and
WHEREAS, triple-negative breast cancer cells are considered negative for the three
key receptors that medicines typically target in other types of breast cancers leaving limited
treatment options; and
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WHEREAS, patients with an early diagnosis of breast cancer can often be treated
with chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery; however, there are limited therapies available
for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer making it a challenge for clinicians; and
WHEREAS, recent therapeutic innovations have fueled impressive advancements
in the fight against triple-negative breast cancer; and
WHEREAS, studies have shown that triple-negative breast cancer disease-specific
mortality rates are often higher if patients have Medicaid or Medicare or are of lower
socioeconomic status; and
WHEREAS, studies also show that, compared with non-hispanic white women, black
women are 48 percent less likely to receive guideline-adherent care, and thus have a twofold
higher mortality incidence than their white counterparts; and
WHEREAS, over the last few decades, advances in screening and treatment have led
to a reduction in the overall breast cancer mortality rate over the last few decades; even so,
the disproportionate impact of triple-negative breast cancer on minority communities raises
the question of the underlying determinants that drive the disparities in health outcomes; and
WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper for the Legislature of Louisiana to promote
education about triple-negative breast cancer, to raise awareness about the aforementioned
disparities with respect to treatment of the disease and health outcomes, and to address
inequities within the health care system with respect to screening, diagnostic testing, and
care that hinder early detection and treatment of the disease.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Louisiana Senate does hereby designate
March 2022 as Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Louisiana and does
hereby express support for health promotion initiatives and legislation that target
underserved communities with respect to the treatment of this dreadful disease.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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