-^ PUBLIC LAW 102-370—SEPT. 24, 1992 106 STAT. 1165 Public Law 102-370 102d Congress Joint Resolution To designate October 1992 as "National Breast Cancer Awareness Month". Sept. 24, 1992 [S.J. Res. 303] Whereas breast cancer wili strike an estimated 180,000 women and 1,000 men in the United States in 1992; Whereas, assuming an average life expectancy of 85 years, a woman's lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is 1 in 9; Whereas the risk of developing breast cancer increases as a woman grows older; Whereas breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, and will kill an estimated 46,000 women and 300 men in 1992; Whereas the 5-year survival rate for localized breast cancer has risen from 78 percent in the 1940s to over 90 percent today; Whereas most breast cancers are detected by the woman herself; Whereas educating both the public and healtii care providers about the importance of early detection will result in reducing breast cancer mortality; Whereas appropriate use of screening mammography, in conjimction with climcal examination and breast self-examination, can result in the detection of many breast cancers early in their development and increase the survival rate to nearly 100 percent; Whereas data from controlled trials clearly demonstrate that deaths from breast cancer are significantly reduced in women over the age of 40 by using mammography as a screening tool; Whereas many women are reluctant to have screening mammograms for a variety of reasons, such as the cost of testing, lack of information, or fear; Whereas access to screening mammography is directly related to socioeconomic status; Whereas increased awareness about the importsince of screening mammography will result in the procedure being regularly requested by the patient and recommended by the health care provider; and Whereas it is projected that more women will use this lifesaving test as it becomes increasingly available and affordable: Now, therefore, be it
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