SENATE RESOLUTION 258--EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE DESIGNATION OF MAY 2019 AS ``NATIONAL BRAIN TUMOR AWARENESS MONTH''; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 104
(Senate - June 20, 2019)
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From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 258--EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE DESIGNATION OF MAY
2019 AS ``NATIONAL BRAIN TUMOR AWARENESS MONTH''
Mr. DAINES (for himself, Mr. Markey, Ms. Collins, Mr. Van Hollen, and
Ms. Warren) submitted the following resolution; which was considered
and agreed to:
S. Res. 258
Whereas an estimated 86,970 new cases of primary brain
tumors are expected to be diagnosed in the United States
during calendar year 2019;
Whereas pediatric brain tumors are the leading cause of
death from cancer in children under the age of 19;
Whereas the average survival rate in the United States for
all malignant brain tumor patients is only 35 percent;
Whereas, in 2019, an estimated 16,830 people in the United
States will die as a result of a malignant brain tumor;
Whereas brain tumors may be malignant or benign, but can be
life-threatening in either case;
Whereas nearly 700,000 people in the United States are
currently living with a brain tumor;
Whereas treatment of brain tumors is complicated by the
fact that there are more than 130 different types of brain
tumors;
Whereas the treatment and removal of brain tumors present
significant challenges due to the uniquely complex and
fragile nature of the brain;
Whereas brain tumors affect the primary organ in the human
body that controls not only cognitive ability, but the
actions of every other organ and limb in the body, leading to
brain tumors being described as a disease that affects the
whole individual;
Whereas brain tumor research is supported by a number of
private, nonprofit research foundations and by Federal
medical research institutions;
Whereas basic research may fuel advancements and
development of new treatments for brain tumors;
Whereas obstacles to the development of new treatments for
brain tumors remain, and there are limited strategies for the
screening or early detection of brain tumors;
Whereas, despite the high number of individuals diagnosed
with a brain tumor every year and the devastating prognoses
for such individuals, only 5 drugs and 1 medical device are
approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat brain
tumors;
Whereas the mortality rates associated with brain tumors
have changed little during the past 30 years;
Whereas there is a need for greater public awareness of
brain tumors, including the difficulties associated with
research on these tumors and the opportunities for advances
in brain tumor research and treatment; and
Whereas May 2019, during which brain tumor advocates
nationwide unite in awareness, outreach, and advocacy
activities, is an appropriate month to recognize as
``National Brain Tumor Awareness Month'': Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) supports the designation of May 2019 as ``National
Brain Tumor Awareness Month'';
(2) encourages increased public awareness of brain tumors
to honor those individuals who have lost their lives to this
devastating disease or currently live with a brain tumor
diagnosis;
(3) supports efforts to develop better treatments for brain
tumors that will improve the quality of life and the long-
term prognoses of those individuals diagnosed with a brain
tumor;
(4) expresses its support for those individuals who are
battling brain tumors, as well as the families, friends, and
caregivers of those individuals; and
(5) urges a collaborative approach to brain tumor research,
which is a promising means of advancing understanding of, and
treatment for, brain tumors.
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