[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 79 (Monday, May 24, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4147-S4148]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 537--DESIGNATING MAY 2010 AS ``NATIONAL BRAIN TUMOR 
                           AWARENESS MONTH''

  Ms. COLLINS (for herself and Mr. Casey) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 537

       Whereas 62,000 Americans are diagnosed with a primary brain 
     tumor each year and 150,000 more are diagnosed with a 
     metastatic brain tumor that results from cancer spreading 
     from another part of the body to the brain;
       Whereas brain tumors are the leading cause of death from 
     solid tumors in children under the age of 20 and are the 
     third leading cause of death from cancer in young adults ages 
     between the ages of 20 and 39;
       Whereas brain tumors may be malignant or benign, but can be 
     life-threatening in either case;
       Whereas 612,000 Americans have been diagnosed and are 
     living with a brain tumor;
       Whereas the treatment of brain tumors is complicated by the 
     fact that more than 120 different types of brain tumors 
     exist;
       Whereas the treatment of brain tumors presents significant 
     challenges because of--
       (1) the location of brain tumors in an enclosed bony canal;
       (2) the difficulty of delivering treatment across the 
     blood-brain barrier;
       (3) the obstacles to complete surgical removal of the 
     tumors; and
       (4) the serious edema that results when the blood-brain 
     barrier is disrupted;
       Whereas brain tumors have been described as a disease that 
     affects the essence of ``self'';
       Whereas brain tumor research is supported by a number of 
     private nonprofit research foundations and by institutes at 
     the National Institutes of Health, including the National 
     Cancer Institute and the National Institute for Neurological 
     Disorders and Stroke;
       Whereas important advances have been made in understanding 
     brain tumors, including the genetic characterization of 
     glioblastoma multiforme, 1 of the deadliest forms of brain 
     tumor;
       Whereas advances in basic research may fuel the research 
     and development of new treatments;
       Whereas daunting obstacles still remain to the development 
     of new treatments, and no strategies for the screening or 
     early detection of brain tumors exist;
       Whereas a need for greater public awareness of brain tumors 
     exists, including awareness of the difficulties associated 
     with research on brain tumors and the opportunities for 
     advances in brain tumor research and treatment; and
       Whereas May, when brain tumor advocates nationwide unite in 
     awareness, outreach, and advocacy activities, would be an 
     appropriate month to recognize as National Brain Tumor 
     Awareness Month: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates May 2010 as ``National Brain Tumor Awareness 
     Month'';
       (2) encourages increased awareness of brain tumors to honor 
     those individuals who have lost their lives to brain tumors, 
     as well as those individuals who are living with brain 
     tumors;
       (3) supports efforts to develop better treatments for brain 
     tumors that will improve the quality of life and their long-
     term prognosis of those individuals diagnosed with a brain 
     tumor;
       (4) expresses the support of the Senate for those 
     individuals who are battling brain tumors, as well as the 
     families, friends, and caregivers of those individuals; and
       (5) urges a collaborative public-private approach to brain 
     tumor research as the best means of advancing basic knowledge 
     of, and treatments for, brain tumors.


[[Page S4148]]


  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise today to submit legislation with 
my colleague from Pennsylvania, Senator Casey, to designate the month 
of May 2010 as National Brain Tumor Awareness Month.
  An estimated 612,000 Americans have been diagnosed and are living 
with a brain tumor. Brain tumors do not discriminate. Primary brain 
tumors--those that begin in the brain and tend to stay in the brain--
occur in people of all ages, but are statistically more frequent in 
children and adults. Metastatic brain tumors--those that begin as a 
cancer elsewhere in the body and spread to the brain--are more common 
in adults than in children.
  Whether malignant or benign, brain tumors can be life threatening. 
They are the leading cause of death from solid tumors in children under 
the age of 20, and are the third leading cause of death from cancer in 
young adults between the ages of 20 and 39.
  The treatment of brain tumors is complicated by the existence of more 
than 120 different types of brain tumors. Treatment is further 
complicated by the location of these tumors and other obstacles to 
their treatment or complete surgical removal.
  While important advances have been made in understanding brain 
tumors, daunting obstacles remain to the development of new treatments. 
Moreover, there currently are no strategies for the screening or early 
detection of brain tumors.
  Designation of the month of May 2010 as National Brain Tumor 
Awareness Month will help to increase awareness of the prevalence and 
nature of brain tumors and will also help to encourage efforts to 
develop better treatments that will improve the qualify of life and 
long-term prognosis for those individuals who are affected. It also 
gives us the opportunity to show support for all those individuals who 
may be battling a brain tumor, as well as for their families, friends 
and caregivers. I urge my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring this 
important resolution.

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