[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 12, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E34]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             REMEMBERING THOSE WHO SUFFER FROM GLIOBLASTOMA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. THOMAS MacARTHUR

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 12, 2016

  Mr. MacARTHUR. Mr Speaker, I rise today to draw attention to the 
scourge of glioblastoma.
   The glial cells are the glue of the brain. Glial tumors, which 
attack and destroy this glue, account for over eighty percent of all 
malignant brain tumors. Glioblastomas are both the most frequent and 
the most aggressive kind of glial tumor. Put simply, glioblastoma is 
the most malignant form of brain cancer known to medical science.
   The suffering caused by glioblastoma is hard to overstate. As the 
glue of the brain breaks down, glioblastoma causes great difficulties 
for patients and their loved ones. Life expectancy after diagnosis is 
about three months without treatment, and even with treatment, typical 
life expectancy is between one and two years. The five-year survival 
rate for patients receiving treatment is less than ten percent.
   Despite these enormous odds, many patients and their families 
continue to fight bravely and advocate for a cure. I would like to join 
them in that cause. The National Institutes of Health recently received 
a major funding increase, and I urge them, along with other centers of 
medical research, to take seriously the enormous importance of finding 
new and better treatments for glioblastoma, which represents such a 
challenge for so many Americans and their families.
   I also want to recognize in particular Mr. Joseph J. Rullo, a 
constituent of mine from Beachwood, New Jersey, who passed away after 
his battle with this terrible disease. His son, Joe, is an active voice 
in the fight to combat glioblastoma, and I thank him--and all 
glioblastoma advocates--for their dedication to the hard work of 
advocacy on behalf of those who suffer from glioblastoma and their 
families. It's my honor to represent them in Congress as they continue 
fighting the good fight.

                          ____________________