National Brain Tumor Awareness Month
Floor Speech
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Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, nearly 700,000 people in the United States today are living with a brain tumor. Sadly, over 16,000 of them will lose their battles this year alone. Many of them will be children, with brain tumors being the leading cause of death from cancer for those who are under 14.
Unfortunately, the treatment and removal of brain tumors presents significant challenges because of the brain's uniquely complex and fragile nature, due, in no small part, to there being more than 120 different types of tumors. While brain tumor research is supported by a number of private nonprofit research foundations and by institutes at the National Institutes of Health, there still remain daunting obstacles in the development of new treatments. Moreover, there are currently no strategies for screening or for the early detection of brain tumors.
Despite the number of new people who are diagnosed with brain tumors every year and their devastating prognoses over the past 30 years, there have only been four FDA-approved drugs and one device to treat brain tumors. On top of that, the four approved drugs have provided only incremental improvements to patient survival, and mortality rates remain little changed over the past 30 years.
It is clear that much more must be done. That is why I am proud to introduce a resolution designating this May as National Brain Tumor Awareness Month.
Throughout the month, advocates around the country unite to educate the public about brain tumors and to advocate for policies that are vital to the discovery of a cure. Their efforts are crucial for shining a light on the difficulties that are associated with research on brain tumors and the opportunities for advancements in brain tumor research and treatment.
I ask my colleagues to honor those who have lost their lives to a brain tumor and to please support this resolution so we can move one step closer to ending this devastating disease.
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