Proclamation
Whereas, one in every five deaths in the United States is due to cancer, and lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death for both men and women in the United States and California; and
Whereas, in 2020, the latest year for which data are available, 197,453 new cases of lung cancer were reported, and 136,084 people died from lung cancer in the United States; and
Whereas, the 5-year survival rate for localized lung cancer is 60%, but 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 earlier detection of lung cancer and save lives, however, only 1% of eligible California residents have been screened; 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; and
Whereas, African Americans have the highest incidence of lung cancer and highest mortality rates of all races, with high levels of disparities in screening, diagnosis, and treatment 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 United States.
Now, therefore, be it resolved, that I, Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft, Mayor of the City of Alameda, do hereby proclaim November 2023 as
Lung Cancer Awareness Month
and urge those who smoke to quit smoking, and urge anyone who is over 50 years old and currently smokes or has quit in the last 15 years to get annual lung cancer screening.
Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft
Mayor