BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SCR 66|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SCR 66
Author: Steinberg (D)
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
WITHOUT REFERENCE TO COMMITTEE
SUBJECT : Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
SOURCE : California Colorectal Cancer Coalition
DIGEST : This resolution designates March 2010 as
Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
ANALYSIS :
Resolution findings:
1. Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer
deaths in both men and women in California, with 14,610
new cases and 5,080 deaths expected in 2010. In 2005,
only 56 percent of the population in California had
received colorectal cancer screening according to the
guidelines.
2. Colorectal cancer is treatable, curable, and in many
cases, completely preventable. When colorectal cancers
are detected at an early stage, five-year survival is 90
percent.
CONTINUED
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3. There were approximately one million colorectal cancer
survivors in the United States in 2002.
4. Colorectal cancer is known as a silent killer because
symptoms only show up in the later stages of the
disease. With proper screening, colorectal cancer can
be prevented or, if found early, treated and cured.
Colorectal cancer screening is one of the most
cost-effective prevention measures in health care, more
cost effective than breast or prostate cancer screening.
5. According to the Institute of Medicine, access to
appropriate use of colorectal cancer screening tests,
such as colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, and fecal occult
blood test, could reduce death rates of colon cancer up
to 80 percent.
6. The uninsured, underinsured, and underserved are least
likely to get screening and treatment for colorectal
cancer, which means that they are more likely to be
diagnosed at a late stage when chances of survival drop
to 10 percent.
7. African Americans have the highest colorectal cancer
incidence and mortality rates of all racial groups in
the country, and early detection rates among African
Americans in California are low. Hispanics and Latinos
in California have lower rates of screening for
colorectal cancer, and lower rates of early detection.
8. In California, colorectal cancer is the most common
cancer among Korean mean, the second most common cancer
among Korean women, and the second most common cancer
among Japanese men and women, and only 40 percent of
colorectal cancers in Asians and Pacific Islanders are
caught at an early stage.
9. The California Colorectal Cancer Coalition (C4) is a
nonprofit organization established to increase
colorectal cancer screening rates in an effort to
decrease mortality associated with the disease, and
implement strategies to reduce disparities in colorectal
cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment among
populations in California.
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10. C4 encourages
Californians to discuss the colorectal cancer screening
test that is best for them with their doctors and
believes that the best test is the one you have done.
FISCAL EFFECT : Fiscal Com.: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 2/11/10)
California Colorectal Cancer Coalition (source)
CTW:cm 3/3/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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