LUNG CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
2024
BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
A PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States and it remains the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the United States and in North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, in 2024, it is estimated that 9,434 individuals in North Carolina will be diagnosed with lung cancer, and 5,672 individuals will die from this disease which impacts people of all races and ethnicities, with men, and particularly American Indians experiencing the highest incidence and mortality rates in North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, cigarette smoking causes 80 percent to 90 percent of lung cancer deaths; and radon, a gas, which has been found in homes in all 100 counties of North Carolina, is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking; and
WHEREAS, lung cancer screening is recommended annually for individuals ages 50-80 that currently smoke or have quit smoking within the last 15 years and with a 20 history of smoking one pack a day for 20 years; and
WHEREAS, the NC Comprehensive Cancer Control Program encourages North Carolinians and health care providers to learn more about prevention, lung cancer screening and radon testing in homes to reduce the risk of lung cancer for their patients; and
WHEREAS, the State of North Carolina encourages people to become informed about cancer detection and to raise awareness, promote resources, and advocate support for individuals and their families affected by this disease in our communities;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim November, 2024, as “LUNG CANCER AWARENESS MONTH” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.
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Roy Cooper
Governor
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this thirty-first day of October in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-four and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.