WHEREAS, In 2014, an estimated 46,420 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and 39,590 people will die from the disease in the United States, and the incidence and death rates for pancreatic cancer are increasing; and

WHEREAS, Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, as it is anticipated to move from the fourth to the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States by 2020; and

WHEREAS, Symptoms of pancreatic cancer usually first present themselves in its late stage; and

WHEREAS, Seventy-three percent of pancreatic cancer patients die within the first year of their diagnosis, while 94 percent of pancreatic cancer patients die within the first five years, rendering the disease the only major cancer with a five-year relative survival rate in the single digits at just 6 percent; and

WHEREAS, Approximately 3,960 deaths from pancreatic cancer will occur in California in 2014; and

WHEREAS, The federal government invests significantly less money in pancreatic cancer research than it does in research of any other deadly cancer, constituting only approximately 2 percent of the National Cancer Institute’s budget, a figure far too low given the severity of the disease, its mortality rate, and how little is known about how to arrest it; and

WHEREAS, The Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act of 2012, formerly the Pancreatic Cancer Research and Education Act, requires that the National Cancer Institute develop a scientific framework for combating pancreatic cancer and other recalcitrant cancers; and

WHEREAS, The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is a national organization serving the pancreatic cancer community in California, where it is headquartered, and nationwide through a comprehensive approach, which includes public policy, research funding, patient services, and public awareness and education related to developing effective treatments and a cure for pancreatic cancer; and

WHEREAS, The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and its affiliates in California support those patients and families currently battling pancreatic cancer, as well as the friends and families of those who have lost their lives to the disease, and are committed to nothing less than a cure; and

WHEREAS, The good health and well-being of the residents of California are enhanced as a direct result of increased awareness about pancreatic cancer and research into early detection, causes, and effective treatments; and

WHEREAS, Pancreatic cancer statistics call for aggressive measures now to develop early detection and treatment tools before the incidence dramatically increases, in light of the fact that National Cancer Institute funding is falling dangerously behind; now, therefore, be it