On Behalf of the Millions of American Women with Cervical Cancer
 

WHEREAS, following breast cancer, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide; and

WHEREAS, according to federal governmental statistics, cervical cancer is the third most common gynecological cancer among American women, with approximately 12,200 new cases diagnosed annually, 4,100 of which result in fatalities; and

WHEREAS, with regular and accurate screening, cervical cancer is highly preventable; widespread screening programs have helped to reduce death rates of women from cervical cancer, but women are still dying even with such advanced medical techniques and evaluative procedures; and

WHEREAS, cervical cancer cases in the United States are generally attributed to a lack of education, a reduction of access available to regular cervical cancer screening, and a lack of screening accuracy; and

WHEREAS, experience shows that increasing cervical cancer awareness among

women, especially the underserved women within our state, significantly reduces the probability of mortality; and

WHEREAS, cervical cancer disproportionately affects minority women and women with lower incomes because they are less likely to have access to routine screening; and

WHEREAS, approximately half of all cervical cancer cases are in women who have never been screened, and 10 percent of cases are in women who have not been screened within the last 5 years; and

WHEREAS, the median age of cervical cancer patients at diagnosis is 47 years, the youngest median age for all female reproductive cancers; and

WHEREAS, new screening technologies, including FDA-approved testing for human papillomavirus, which is the cause of virtually all cervical cancers, offer new opportunities to finally eliminate this potentially deadly disease through early identification of women at increased risk; and

WHEREAS, leading medical organizations, including the American College of

Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Cancer Society, and the Association of

Reproductive Health Professionals, have recently updated their screening guidelines to include FDA-approved testing for the human papillomavirus; and

WHEREAS, women are entitled to proper cervical cancer information, so that they can be empowered to make informed healthcare decisions, and access to routine screening, including the most accurate methods available; and

WHEREAS, the State and Territorial Legislatures recognize(s) that through education and screening, women can lower their likelihood for developing cervical cancer, and that through early detection, cervical cancer can be successfully treated after it develops; now, therefore,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED,  that the National Lieutenant Governors Association supports the creation by all states and U.S. territories of special Cervical Cancer Elimination Task Forces, or encourage existing state and territorial cancer programs to take the lead in reviewing data regarding cervical cancer and human papillomavirus of women within all states and U.S. territories and evaluating current methods used to provide women with information regarding cervical cancer, access to regular screening, and options for increasing screening accuracy.  Further duties of said task forces or existing cancer programs should include the identification of pockets of need, priority strategies, and new technologies, including newly introduced therapies and preventive vaccines which are effective in preventing and controlling the risk of cervical cancer.

Introduced to the National Lieutenant Governors Association on June 16, 2004 by:

Lt. Governor Mary Fallin, Oklahoma, sponsor 

Co-Sponsors:   Lt. Governor John Moore, Kansas and Lt. Governor Karl Ohs, Montana

Adopted on July 11, 2004