Senate Approves Bipartisan Ayotte Resolution to Promote Prostate Cancer Awareness

Press Release

The Senate recently passed a bipartisan resolution that U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) helped introduce designating September 2014 as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Senate Resolution 575, which was introduced by a group of bipartisan Senators, highlights the need to increase awareness of prostate cancer and calls for the promotion of early detection and screening methods, as well as additional prostate cancer research.

According to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), New Hampshire has one of the highest rates of cancer in the U.S. While the data can be explained by several different factors, including the rates of screening in the state and overall demographics, the CDC found that in 2011, nearly 144 per 100,000 men in New Hampshire had prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the most prevalent cancer in the state.

"When prostate cancer is detected in its early stages, the five-year survival rate can increase to almost 100 percent. Despite that, more than 29,000 American men will lose their lives to prostate cancer this year," said Senator Ayotte. "This tragic statistic, along with the fact that prostate cancer is the most prevalent cancer in our state, underscore how important it is to support research and prevention efforts in addition to increasing public awareness around early detection of this disease."

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