Representative Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA), recently introduced a resolution regarding women and colon cancer (H.Res. 1053).  Also known as colorectal cancer, colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths.

Colorectal cancer affects both men and women, and Representative Dahlkemper’s resolution helps to dispel the myth that this disease affects only men by explaining the impact of the disease on women in the United States.  Nearly 55,000 of the new cases of colorectal cancer in the U.S. this year will occur in women, and nearly 25,000 Americans who will die from colorectal cancer in the U.S. this year will be women.

When diagnosed at an early stage, colorectal cancer has a five-year survival rate of 90 percent, but when diagnosed late, the five-year survival rate drops to only 10 percent.  Representative Dahlkemper’s resolution encourages women to regularly undergo screening for colorectal cancer as recommended by their doctors.

As we head into Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, it is important to remember the impact this disease has on so many Americans and C3 applauds Representative Dahlkemper for introducing a resolution regarding the impact of colorectal cancer on women.