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[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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