Resolution to Support Breast and Ovarian Cancer Passes House

On September 15, the House passed, 408-0, a resolution supporting the designation of Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Week and National Previvor Day (H. Res. 1522).

Sponsored by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), the resolution contains a number of findings, including:

• Approximately five to seven percent of breast cancer and 10 to 14 percent of ovarian cancers are hereditary;
• Women with these mutations have up to an 84 percent chance of developing breast cancer in their lifetime;
• The single greatest ovarian cancer risk factor is a family history of the disease;
• Hereditary cancers are often more aggressive than other cancers and occur at a younger age, when people are less likely to undergo cancer screening;
• Individuals with a hereditary risk for cancer require different cancer screening and risk management recommendations than the general population;
• Among many in the cancer community, a “previvor” is a survivor of a predisposition (or increased risk) to cancer; and
• Raising awareness of hereditary cancer and knowledge of a genetic predisposition can directly lead to preventive strategies that can reduce the chance of dying from cancer.

The resolution recognizes the last week in September as an “appropriate week to designate as National Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Week” and “the last Wednesday in September [as] an appropriate date to designate as National Previvor Day.”