State Senate Agree in the Fight against Cancer

Published: May 29, 2007 - Printer Friendly Update -  Send This Article To A Friend

Give them their due. When all 35 senators can agree on anything, it is worth looking at. Indeed, Senate Joint Resolution 53 “Supporting the Goal of Eliminating Suffering and Death From Cancer by the Year 2015”  was co-sponsored by all 35 senators and passed unanimously by the Legislature. This resolution brings attention to the fight against cancer and its impact on Alabama and sets forth specific goals to further battle cancer. 

Cancer is the second most common cause of death in our nation, exceeded only by heart disease. The toll is felt among young and old alike.  More Americans ages 20 to 40 lose their life to cancer than to any other type of disease.

Seventeen hundred Alabamians die annually from cancer and nearly 5,000 are diagnosed each year. The yearly cost for cancer care in Alabama is estimated to be $500 million.  It is estimated that cancer cost the nation nearly $207 billion in 2006:  including more than $78 billion in direct medical costs; $17.9 billion for indirect morbidity costs (cost of lost productivity due to illness); and $100.2 billion for indirect mortality costs (cost of lost productivity due to premature death).

There is very good news though. Cancer deaths fell by 10 percent from 1991 to 2002, saving over 300,000 Americans.  In fact, 2005 was the first year in history that fewer Americans died from cancer than the year before.

Nationally, cancer death rates fell by 10 percent from 1991 to 2002, saving as many as 321,000 lives.  In fact, last year was the second year in a row that cancer deaths declined.

Worldwide, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women and the third most fatal. The cervical cancer mortality rate in Alabama is 3.1 – slightly higher than the U.S. rate of 2.7*.   Last year we took a great step forward with the approval of a vaccine that prevents most causes of cervical cancer.  With the approval of the vaccine Gardasil, real change has secured a victory and a step was taken to meet this goal. As noted by the Alabama Dept. of Public Health, “When cervical cancer is detected at an early stage, it is one of the most successfully treated cancers.”

Please note that API does not support the controversial mandatory vaccination of young girls and would oppose any effort to make this compulsory.  

Dr. Andy von Eschenbach, former head of the National Cancer Institute, believes cancer deaths can be eliminated by 2015. During the next 25 years, more progress will be made in science and technology than in all the last 100 years. New opportunities for early detection and early intervention in treating diseases like cancer will flourish.

The Senate Joint Resolution affirms “eliminating cancer-related suffering and death will require a commitment by the Alabama State Legislature to continue to make the fight against cancer a priority.”

For starters, the Legislature could investigate best practices from other states and:

●          Issue a report on innovative programs other states are using to improve cancer prevention, detection and care.

●          A select committee of the Legislature should host a one-day conference in conjunction with the report’s release.

In the battle against cancer, real change is a matter of life and death and the Legislature and Congress (funding research by the National Cancer Institute) should remain steadfast in their commitment to provide resources in beating cancer, once and for all. 

(*)Per 100,000 population.

Michael Ciamarra is Vice President of the Birmingham-based Alabama Policy Institute (michaelc@alabamapolicy.org).

For Further Reading:

1)                  http://www.cancer.gov/

2)                  ”Alabama Cancer Facts & Figures 2006,” The Alabama Department of Public Health, www.adph.org

3)                  Senate Joint Resolution 53 http://alisdb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/searchableinstruments/2007RS/Printfiles//SJR53-enr.pdf

4)                  “Conquering Cancer with Private Medicine,” by Michael Tanner, www.cato.org

5)                  “HPV Vaccination Should Be a Matter of Choice,” by Gary Palmer, http://www.alabamapolicy.org/gary_blog/archived_article.php?id_art=238