III 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 537 

Designating May 2010 as ‘‘National Brain Tumor Awareness Month’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 24, 2010 

Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Mr. CASEY, and Mr. GRAHAM) submitted the 

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

MAY 26, 2010 

Committee discharged; considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating May 2010 as ‘‘National Brain Tumor Awareness 

Month’’. 

Whereas 62,000 Americans are diagnosed with a primary 

brain tumor each year and 150,000 more are diagnosed 

with a metastatic brain tumor that results from cancer 

spreading from another part of the body to the brain; 

Whereas brain tumors are the leading cause of death from 

solid tumors in children under the age of 20 and are the 

third leading cause of death from cancer in young adults 

ages between the ages of 20 and 39; 

Whereas brain tumors may be malignant or benign, but can 

be life-threatening in either case; 


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Whereas 612,000 Americans have been diagnosed and are living with a brain tumor; 

Whereas the treatment of brain tumors is complicated by the 

fact that more than 120 different types of brain tumors 

exist; 

Whereas the treatment of brain tumors presents significant 

challenges because of— 

(1) the location of brain tumors in an enclosed bony 

canal; 

(2) the difficulty of delivering treatment across the 

blood-brain barrier; 

(3) the obstacles to complete surgical removal of the 

tumors; and 

(4) the serious edema that results when the bloodbrain barrier is disrupted; 

Whereas brain tumors have been described as a disease that 

affects the essence of ‘‘self’’; 

Whereas brain tumor research is supported by a number of 

private nonprofit research foundations and by institutes 

at the National Institutes of Health, including the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute for 

Neurological Disorders and Stroke; 

Whereas important advances have been made in understanding brain tumors, including the genetic characterization of glioblastoma multiforme, 1 of the deadliest 

forms of brain tumor; 

Whereas advances in basic research may fuel the research 

and development of new treatments; 

Whereas daunting obstacles still remain to the development 

of new treatments, and no strategies for the screening or 

early detection of brain tumors exist; 


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Whereas a need for greater public awareness of brain tumors 

exists, including awareness of the difficulties associated 

with research on brain tumors and the opportunities for 

advances in brain tumor research and treatment; and 

Whereas May, when brain tumor advocates nationwide unite 

in awareness, outreach, and advocacy activities, would be 

an appropriate month to recognize as National Brain 

Tumor Awareness Month: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates May 2010 as ‘‘National Brain 

3 Tumor Awareness Month’’; 

4 (2) encourages increased awareness of brain tu5 mors to honor those individuals who have lost their 

6 lives to brain tumors, as well as those individuals 

7 who are living with brain tumors; 

8 (3) supports efforts to develop better treat9 ments for brain tumors that will improve the quality 

10 of life and their long-term prognosis of those individ11 uals diagnosed with a brain tumor; 

12 (4) expresses the support of the Senate for 

13 those individuals who are battling brain tumors, as 

14 well as the families, friends, and caregivers of those 

15 individuals; and 

16 (5) urges a collaborative public-private ap17 proach to brain tumor research as the best means of 


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1 advancing basic knowledge of, and treatments for, 

2 brain tumors. 

Æ 


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