[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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