WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate today approved a bipartisan resolution supported by Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema that designates July 17th as Glioblastoma Awareness Day. The resolution, introduced by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (S.C.), calls for a greater national effort to advance treatment options, caregiving, and general care for brain cancers. Sinema seeks to honor the legacy of legendary Arizona Senator John S. McCain III, who passed away in 2018 from brain cancer.
“John McCain was a hero and his leadership is a constant inspiration to me. I miss him terribly, and I hope this resolution helps advance new treatments for glioblastoma and all brain cancers,” said Sinema.
Glioblastoma is the most common cancerous brain tumor, accounting for 47 percent of all primary brain tumors, and it is the most aggressive, complex, and difficult to treat. 15,000 people in the United States pass away from glioblastoma every year, and an estimated 12,760 new cases of glioblastoma will be diagnosed in the country this year.
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.