SR1511 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1511 LRB099 20419 MST 44914 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Nearly 700,000 people in the United States are living with a primary brain tumor, and more than 69,000 others will be diagnosed this year; brain tumors are often deadly, impact the quality of life, and change everything for patients and their loved ones; and

WHEREAS, Anyone can get a brain tumor, including persons of any age, race, gender, or ethnic origin; there are currently no standard prevention or early detection measures, very few effective treatments, and no cure; and

WHEREAS, Malignant brain tumors are among the deadliest cancers with just a 34% 5-year relative survival rate; brain tumors are now the leading cause of cancer death in children under the age of 14; even someone with a benign brain tumor faces a potentially life-threatening disease and may suffer from chronic neurological problems; and

WHEREAS, In Illinois in 2015, an estimated 2930 people were diagnosed with primary brain or other central nervous system tumors; it is estimated that 950 of those were malignant; approximately 533 people from Illinois die annually due to brain or other central nervous system tumors; and

WHEREAS, There have been very few new brain tumor therapies approved in the last 30 years; critical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is laying the groundwork for breakthroughs; the NIH is the primary source of funding for brain tumor research in the United States; private philanthropy cannot fill in for the key leadership role that the NIH plays in funding, coordinating, and advancing research, and no amount of private funding can replace the FDA's regulatory role in evaluating and approving new treatments; and

WHEREAS, The United States Congress needs to support public policies that strengthen brain tumor research, advance brain tumor research to new therapies, and ensure patient access to essential brain tumor treatments; and

WHEREAS, The National Brain Tumor Society is the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the brain tumor community in the United States; as the leader in the fight against brain tumors, their initiatives and programs aim to improve understanding of brain tumors and to transform those findings into new and more effective treatments as quickly as possible; to achieve these goals, they foster collaboration with leaders across academia, government, and the private sector; and

WHEREAS, May of 2016 is Brain Tumor Awareness Month - a time to spread awareness about brain tumor facts, share knowledge, and call for new research and better treatments; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare May 6, 2016 as Brain Tumor Awareness Day in the State of Illinois and we encourage people to support the research being conducted to combat this deadly disease; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the National Brain Tumor Society as an expression of our esteem and respect.