2012 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 12-043 BY SENATOR(S) White, Foster, Guzman, Hudak, Jahn, King S., Lundberg, Newell, Nicholson, Roberts, Scheffel, Shaffer B., Spence, Tochtrop, Williams S., Aguilar, Bacon, Boyd, Brophy, Cadman, Carroll, Giron, Grantham, Harvey, Heath, Hodge, Johnston, King K., Lambert, Mitchell, Morse, Neville, Renfroe, Schwartz, Steadman; also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Murray, Acree, Balmer, Barker, Baumgardner, Becker, Beezley, Bradford, Brown, Casso, Conti, Coram, Court, DelGrosso, Duran, Ferrandino, Fields, Fischer, Gardner B., Gerou, Hamner, Holbert, Hullinghorst, Jones, Joshi, Kagan, Kefalas, Kerr A., Kerr J., Labuda, Lee, Levy, Liston, Looper, Massey, McCann, McKinley, Miklosi, Nikkel, Pabon, Pace, Peniston, Priola, Ramirez, Ryden, Schafer S., Scott, Singer, Solano, Sonnenberg, Soper, Stephens, Summers, Swalm, Swerdfeger, Szabo, Todd, Tyler, Vaad, Vigil, Waller, Williams A., Wilson, Young, McNulty. CONCERNING OVARIAN CANCER IN COLORADO. WHEREAS, Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common type of cancer among women and causes more deaths than any other type of female reproductive cancer; and WHEREAS, According to the Colorado Central Cancer Registry, in Colorado in 2012, approximately 350 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer and approximately 220 will die and, according to the National Cancer Institute, nationwide approximately 22,280 women will be diagnosed and approximately 15,500 will die; and WHEREAS, In Colorado, a woman's cumulative lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is 1 in 60 or 1.65%; and WHEREAS, If a woman carries the BRCA gene mutation, her cumulative lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is 38%; and WHEREAS, For Jewish women, the chance of having the BRCA gene mutation is 1 in 40 versus 1 in 500 in the general population, and research has begun to show a higher incidence of the BRCA gene mutation among Hispanics in the San Luis Valley; and WHEREAS, For women with the BRCA gene mutation, preventive measures may be taken that will lessen the risk of an ovarian cancer diagnosis; and WHEREAS, There are approximately 2,500 women in Colorado and approximately 177,600 in the U.S. living with a history of ovarian cancer, including those with active disease and those with no evidence of disease; and WHEREAS, There is no universally accepted screening test for ovarian cancer such as the pap test for cervical cancer and the mammogram for breast cancer; and WHEREAS, Over 50% of ovarian cancers are initially misdiagnosed because women and medical personnel are not aware of the risk factors and symptoms of ovarian cancer; and WHEREAS, In Colorado, only 45% of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer will survive five years; and WHEREAS, Only 18% of ovarian cancer diagnoses in Colorado are at a pre-metastasis stage, at which the five-year survival rate is 93%, and 81% of diagnoses are after metastasis, when the survival rate over five years is only 35%; and WHEREAS, Early diagnosis is key to survival; and WHEREAS, Women and medical personnel must know the risk factors and symptoms of ovarian cancer to reach an earlier-stage diagnosis when there is a greater chance for survival; and WHEREAS, Risk factors for ovarian cancer include: A personal or family history of ovarian, breast, uterine, colon, or rectal cancer; being of Jewish or Hispanic heritage; having no history of pregnancy, breast feeding, or usage of birth control pills; early menopause; or late onset of menses; and being over the age of 50; and WHEREAS, Symptoms of ovarian cancer include abdominal bloating or pressure, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly, and urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency); and if one or more of these symptoms persists for more than a few weeks, the woman should see a gynecologist and request a combination pelvic/rectal exam, a CA125 blood test, and a transvaginal ultrasound to rule out ovarian cancer; and WHEREAS, Other symptoms of ovarian cancer include nausea, indigestion, or gas; abnormal vaginal bleeding; constipation or diarrhea; unusual fatigue; unexplained weight loss or gain; shortness of breath; and lower back pain; and WHEREAS, In the State of Colorado, four nonprofit organizations, the Colorado Ovarian Cancer Alliance, HERA Women's Cancer Foundation, the Cheryl Shackelford Foundation, and the Sue DiNapoli Ovarian Cancer Foundation, are working to make women and medical personnel aware of the risk factors and symptoms of ovarian cancer, to encourage the attempt to rule out ovarian cancer when risk factors or symptoms are present, and to offer support to ovarian cancer survivors; now, therefore, Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-eighth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein: That we, the members of the General Assembly: (1) Encourage all Colorado women and medical personnel to learn the risk factors and symptoms of ovarian cancer and to act to rule out ovarian cancer when the risk factors or symptoms are present; (2) Declare that an accurate early detection screening test would greatly improve the survival rate for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer; and (3) Encourage the funding of research to find such a test. Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to Pep Torres, Executive Director and Mary Phillips, President of the Colorado Ovarian Cancer Alliance; Meg Steitz, Executive Director of the HERA Women's Cancer Foundation; Carol Cisler, President of the Cheryl Shackelford Foundation; Laura Ayotte, President of the Sue DiNapoli Ovarian Cancer Foundation; Dr. Richard Krugman, Dean of the University of Colorado School of Medicine; and the members of the Colorado Congressional Delegation. ____________________________ ____________________________ Brandon C. Shaffer Frank McNulty PRESIDENT OF SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES ____________________________ ____________________________ Cindi Markwell Marilyn Eddins SECRETARY OF CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES