Supporting the designation of July 19, 2023, as "Glioblastoma Awareness Day".

IV 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 425 Supporting the designation of July 19, 2023, as ‘‘Glioblastoma Awareness Day’’. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 18, 2023 Mr. MAST (for himself, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. GALLAGHER, and Mr. AUCHINCLOSS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce RESOLUTION Supporting the designation of July 19, 2023, as ‘‘Glioblastoma Awareness Day’’. Whereas approximately 14,490 new cases of glioblastoma will be diagnosed in the United States in 2023; Whereas glioblastoma is— (1) the most common malignant (cancerous) brain tumor, accounting for approximately 1⁄2 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 each year; VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:07 May 19, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR425.IH HR425 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •HRES 425 IH Whereas the 5-year survival rate for glioblastoma patients is only 6.9 percent, and the median length of survival for glioblastoma patients is only 8 months; Whereas glioblastoma is described as a disease that affects the ‘‘essence of self’’, as the treatment and removal of glioblastoma presents significant challenges due to the uniquely complex and fragile nature of the brain, the pri- mary organ in the human body that controls not only cognitive ability, but also the actions of every organ and limb; Whereas patients and caregivers play a critical role in fur- thering research for glioblastoma; Whereas, relative to other types of cancers, brain cancer pa- tients pay the second highest out-of-pocket costs for med- ical services in both the initial and end-of-life phases of care; Whereas, although research advances may fuel the develop- ment of new treatments for glioblastoma, challenging ob- stacles to accelerating progress toward new treatments for glioblastoma remain, and there are no screening or early detection methods; Whereas, in 2021, the World Health Organization reclassified brain tumors and made significant changes to the molec- ular characteristics of a glioblastoma diagnosis, necessi- tating critical biomarker testing for patients suspected of having a possible glioblastoma; Whereas, although glioblastoma was first described in medical and scientific literature in the 1920s, and despite its dev- astating prognosis, only 4 drugs and 1 medical device have been approved by the Food and Drug Administra- tion to specifically treat glioblastoma since the 1920s, VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:07 May 19, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR425.IH HR425 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •HRES 425 IH and the mortality rates associated with glioblastoma have changed little during the past 30 years; Whereas, since the first Glioblastoma Awareness Day, the National Cancer Institute established the Glioblastoma Therapeutics Network (referred to in this preamble as ‘‘GTN’’) in 2020 as part of a national infrastructure to enhance and support the discovery and development of glioblastoma therapies available for multi-institutional GTN teams to drive therapeutic agents through pre-clin- ical studies and early-phase clinical trials, which are nec- essary to rapidly evaluate potential treatments to advance toward cures and improved quality of life; and Whereas there is a need for greater public awareness of glio- blastoma, including awareness of both— (1) the urgent unmet medical needs of glioblastoma patients; and (2) the opportunities for research of, and treatment advances for, glioblastoma: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) supports the designation of ‘‘Glioblastoma 2 Awareness Day’’; 3 (2) encourages increased public awareness of 4 glioblastoma; 5 (3) honors the individuals who have died from 6 the devastating disease of glioblastoma or are cur- 7 rently living with the disease; 8 (4) supports efforts to develop better treat- 9 ments for glioblastoma that will improve the long- 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:07 May 19, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR425.IH HR425 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 4 •HRES 425 IH term prognosis for, and the quality of life of, individ- 1 uals diagnosed with the disease; 2 (5) recognizes the importance of molecular bio- 3 marker testing to the diagnosis and treatment of 4 glioblastoma; 5 (6) expresses support for the individuals who 6 are battling brain tumors, as well as the families, 7 friends, and caregivers of those individuals; 8 (7) urges a collaborative approach to brain 9 tumor research among governmental, private, and 10 nonprofit organizations, which is a promising means 11 of advancing the understanding and treatment of 12 glioblastoma; and 13 (8) encourages continued investments in glio- 14 blastoma research and treatments, including through 15 the Glioblastoma Therapeutics Network and other 16 existing brain tumor research resources. 17 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:07 May 19, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR425.IH HR425 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB