For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 28, 2001
Cancer Control Month, 2001
By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation
In 2001, an estimated 1.2 million new cases of
cancer will occur, and more than half a million individuals will die
from the disease. Standing alone, the figures are
discouraging. However, a recent decline in the rates of new cases, as
well as cancer-related deaths, offers us hope. The 5-year
survival rate has improved for all cancers, and 8.9 million Americans
are cancer survivors. Thirty years of
investment in the National Cancer Program following the National Cancer
Act of 1971 have accelerated the pace of cancer
research. The investment in research has yielded great
dividends in the areas of cancer prevention, early detection, better
treatments, and improved quality of life for people with
cancer. These advances are remarkable, but much remains to
be done. Healthy behavior can greatly reduce
the risk of cancer. About 45 million Americans have already
quit smoking, but this most preventable cause of cancer continues to
damage public health. Tobacco use causes nearly all cases of
lung cancer and more than one-third of all cancer
deaths. Children can become addicted to tobacco in a very
short time, placing a serious responsibility on adults to help young
people stop smoking, or ideally, never start.
Other weapons remain formidable in the fight against
cancer. Since 1991, the 5 A Day for Better Health program
has spread the message that eating five or more servings of fruits and
vegetables daily can improve health and prevent
disease. Over the past 15 years, increasing numbers of women
have been screened for breast cancer. Continued emphasis on
screening for cancer, including colon cancer, can play a vital role in
saving countless lives. Clinical trials of new drugs may
reveal which ones are most effective in treating cancer. The
Cancer Information Service, a free public service of the National
Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institutes of Health, operates
as a national resource for information about
cancer. Americans may contact the organization at
1-800-4-CANCER or visit its Internet address at http://www.cancer.gov.
Cancer takes a terrible toll on our
country. I encourage all Americans to make healthy choices
in their personal behaviors. Together, we can help stop
cancer and improve the odds of survival for people of all ages.
In 1938, the Congress of the United States
passed a joint resolution (52 Stat. 148; 36 U.S.C. 103) requesting the
President to issue an annual proclamation declaring April as "Cancer
Control Month."
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President
of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in
me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby
proclaim April 2001 as Cancer Control Month. By reaffirming
the importance of controlling cancer, concerned citizens, government
agencies, private industry, nonprofit organizations, and other
interested groups can work toward the day when this devastating
condition is finally eradicated. IN WITNESS
WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of March,
in the year of our Lord two thousand one, and of the Independence of
the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth.
GEORGE
W. BUSH
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