Designating May 2023 as National Brain Tumor Awareness Month.

Designating May 2023 as National Brain Tumor Awareness Month Whereas more than an estimated 94,390 individuals will be diagnosed with a primary brain tumor in the United States in 2023, and an estimated 93,470 individuals in the United States were diagnosed with a primary brain tumor in 2022; Whereas an estimated 1,000,000 Americans are living with a brain tumor in the United States; Whereas, in the United States, brain tumors are (1) the leading cause of death from cancer in children who are under 14 years of age and teens who are under 19 years of age; and (2) the second leading cause of death from cancer in young adults who are between 15 and 39 years of age; Whereas the average 5-year survival rate for an individual in the United States following the diagnosis of a primary malignant brain tumor is only 35.7 percent; Whereas it is estimated that 18,990 individuals in the United States will die as a result of a malignant brain tumor in 2023; Whereas brain tumors may be malignant or benign but can be life-threatening in either case; Whereas treatment of brain tumors is complicated by the fact that more than 100 types of brain tumors exist; 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 those individuals, only a few treatments have been approved for malignant brain tumors since the 1980s and none of the treatments extend survival more than 2 years of life, on average, or are considered to be curative. Whereas the mortality rates associated with brain tumors have changed little during the 30-year period preceding the date of introduction of this resolution; Whereas there is a need for greater public awareness of brain tumors, including the difficulties associated with research on brain tumors and the opportunities for advances in brain tumor research and treatment; and Whereas May 2023, 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 That the Senate (1) designates May 2023 as National Brain Tumor Awareness Month (2) encourages increased public awareness of brain tumors to honor the individuals who have lost their lives to a brain tumor 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 individuals diagnosed with a brain tumor; (4) expresses its support for 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.

Summary: This resolution designates National Brain Tumor Awareness Month.