[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 97 (Tuesday, June 11, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S3325]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 245--DESIGNATING JULY 17, 2019, AS ``GLIOBLASTOMA 
                            AWARENESS DAY''

  Mr. GRAHAM (for himself, Ms. McSally, Ms. Sinema, Ms. Warren, Mr. 
McConnell, and Mr. Markey) submitted the following resolution; which 
was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 245

       Whereas an estimated 13,310 new cases of glioblastoma will 
     be diagnosed in the United States in 2019;
       Whereas glioblastoma is--
       (1) the most common malignant (cancerous) brain tumor, 
     accounting for 47 percent of all primary malignant brain 
     tumors; and
       (2) the most aggressive, complex, difficult to treat, and 
     deadliest brain tumor;
       Whereas it is estimated that more than 15,000 people in the 
     United States will succumb to glioblastoma every year;
       Whereas the 5-year survival rate for glioblastoma patients 
     is only 5.6 percent and the average survival for glioblastoma 
     patients is estimated to be only 12 to 18 months;
       Whereas glioblastoma is described as a disease that affects 
     the ``essence of self'', as the treatment and removal of 
     glioblastoma presents significant challenges because of the 
     uniquely complex and fragile nature of the brain, the primary 
     organ in the human body that controls not only cognitive 
     ability, but the actions of every organ and limb;
       Whereas brain cancer has--
       (1) the highest per-patient initial cost of care for any 
     cancer group, with an annualized mean net cost of care 
     approaching $150,000; and
       (2) the highest annualized mean net costs for last-year-of-
     life care, relative to other cancers, at $135,000 to $210,000 
     (depending on age and gender) per patient;
       Whereas, although research advances may fuel the 
     development of new treatments for glioblastoma, challenging 
     obstacles to accelerating progress toward new treatments for 
     glioblastoma remain, and there are no screening or early 
     detection methods;
       Whereas, although glioblastoma was first described in 
     medical and scientific literature in the 1920s, and despite 
     its devastating prognosis, only 4 drugs and 1 medical device 
     have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to 
     treat glioblastoma since the 1920s, and the mortality rates 
     associated with glioblastoma have changed little during the 
     past 30 years; and
       Whereas there is a need for greater public awareness of 
     glioblastoma, including both the urgent unmet medical need, 
     as well as the opportunities for research and treatment 
     advances for glioblastoma patients: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates July 17, 2019, as ``Glioblastoma Awareness 
     Day'';
       (2) encourages increased public awareness of glioblastoma;
       (3) honors those individuals who have lost their lives to 
     that devastating disease or are currently living with it;
       (4) supports efforts to develop better treatments for 
     glioblastoma that will improve the long-term prognosis of 
     individuals diagnosed with glioblastoma;
       (5) expresses its support for those individuals who are 
     battling brain tumors, as well as the families, friends, and 
     caregivers of those individuals; and
       (6) urges a collaborative approach to brain tumor research, 
     which is a promising means of advancing understanding of, and 
     treatment for, glioblastoma.

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