AL SJR12

Declares May 2024 as Fanconi Anemia Awareness Month in Alabama and commends its observance to all residents.

Fanconi Anemia (FA) is a rare, inherited DNA repair disorder affecting bone marrow and multiple body systems with increased risk of bone marrow failure, physical abnormalities, organ defects, and certain cancers.

Individuals with FA are hundreds of times more likely to develop cancers such as leukemia, head and neck cancers, gynecological cancers, and gastrointestinal cancers at significantly younger ages than the general population.

FA occurs in approximately one in 160,000 individuals worldwide, is caused by 23 known genes including BRCA1 and BRCA2, and is primarily inherited in a recessive fashion requiring two defective gene copies.

Further FA research can improve understanding of DNA repair and cancer development, potentially leading to better cancer preventatives, cancer treatments, and ultimately a cure for the disease.