III 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 617 

Designating July 22, 2020, as ‘‘Glioblastoma Awareness Day’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 15, 2020 

Mr. GRAHAM (for himself, Mr. MARKEY, Ms. MCSALLY, Ms. SINEMA, and Ms. 

WARREN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Designating July 22, 2020, as ‘‘Glioblastoma Awareness 

Day’’. 

Whereas more than 13,000 new cases of glioblastoma will be 

diagnosed in the United States in 2020; 

Whereas glioblastoma is— 

(1) the most common malignant (cancerous) brain 

tumor, accounting for 48 percent of all primary malignant brain tumors; and 

(2) the most aggressive, complex, difficult to treat, 

and deadly type of brain tumor; 

Whereas it is estimated that more than 10,000 individuals in 

the United States will succumb to glioblastoma every 

year; 


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•SRES 617 IS 

Whereas the 5-year survival rate for glioblastoma patients is 

only 6.8 percent, and the average length of 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 due to the 

uniquely complex and fragile nature of the brain, the primary organ in the human body that controls not only 

cognitive ability, but also the actions of every organ and 

limb; 

Whereas, relative to other types of cancers, brain cancer 

has— 

(1) the highest per-patient initial cost of care, with 

an annualized mean net cost of care approaching 

$150,000; and 

(2) the highest annualized mean net costs for lastyear-of-life care, with a cost of between $135,000 and 

$210,000 per patient, depending on the age and gender 

of a 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 


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•SRES 617 IS 

Whereas there is a need for greater public awareness of glioblastoma, including awareness of both— 

(1) the urgent unmet medical needs of glioblastoma 

patients; and 

(2) the opportunities for research and treatment advances for glioblastoma: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates July 22, 2020, as ‘‘Glioblastoma 

3 Awareness Day’’; 

4 (2) encourages increased public awareness of 

5 glioblastoma; 

6 (3) honors the individuals who have lost their 

7 lives to glioblastoma, a devastating disease, or are 

8 currently living with it; 

9 (4) supports efforts to develop better treat10 ments for glioblastoma that will improve the long11 term prognosis of individuals diagnosed with glio12 blastoma; 

13 (5) expresses its support for the individuals who 

14 are battling brain tumors, as well as the families, 

15 friends, and caregivers of those individuals; and 

16 (6) urges a collaborative approach to brain 

17 tumor research, which is a promising means of ad18 vancing the understanding and treatment of glio19 blastoma. 

Æ 


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