Proclamation
Whereas, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among men and women in the United States and California, accounting for more deaths than colon cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer combined; and
Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 3,445 new lung cancer cases and 2,225 deaths because of lung cancer between 2015 and 2019 in Alameda County, California; and
Whereas, the 5-year survival rate for localized lung cancer is ~60%, yet only ~24% of lung cancers are diagnosed at this stage; and
Whereas, screening for lung cancer for high-risk individuals using low-dose computed tomography can lead to the earlier detection of lung cancer and save lives, reducing the mortality by 20% when compared to screening by chest x-ray in the National Lung Screening Trial and reducing the risk of death at 10 years by 24% in men and 33% in women as demonstrated by another large randomized trial; and
Whereas, funding for lung cancer research trails far behind funding for research of many other cancers, and additional research is needed in early diagnosis, screening, and treatment for lung cancer as well as in lung cancer affecting women and lung cancer health disparities; and
Whereas, lung cancer incidence is decreasing twice as fast in men as it is in women, each year more women die from lung cancer than breast cancer and by 2035, more women will die from lung cancer than men; and
Whereas, African Americans have the highest lung cancer incidence and mortality of all races, and disparities in lung cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment, and mortality are well characterized among African Americans and other racial minorities; and
Whereas, lung cancer in never smokers is the 7th leading cause of cancer-related death and accounts for 17,000-26,000 deaths in the US every year, 60-70% of never smokers diagnosed with lung cancer are women, and the proportion of lung cancers diagnosed in never smokers is increasing in the US; and
Whereas, organizations working in Alameda County, California, such as the American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative and Women’s Lung Cancer Forum, are committed to educating about lung cancer and lung cancer screening and working to increase lung cancer screening rates in the United States of America.
Now, therefore, be it resolved, that I, Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft, Mayor of the City of Alameda, do hereby proclaim November 2022 as
Lung Cancer Awareness Month
and recognize the need for research in lung cancer affecting women and lung cancer health disparities, and encourage all citizens to learn about lung cancer and early detection through lung cancer screening.
Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft
Mayor