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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | February 11, 2015 01:34 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Dom Costa |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Resolution Designating May 5, 2015, as “Ependymoma Awareness Day” in Pennsylvania |
| In the near future, I plan to introduce a resolution designating May 5, 2015, as “Ependymoma Awareness Day” in Pennsylvania. Ependymoma is a rare type of tumor located on the brain or spinal cord and develops from cells that line the ventricles in these areas. The cause of ependymoma is unknown and it effects both children and adults. Ependymoma is more common in males than females and approximately 2,100 people are diagnosed each year in the United States. According to the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health, approximately 9% of childhood brain tumors are ependymomas. Brain tumors are the second most common cancers in children, besides leukemia. More than 90% of ependymomas present in children occur in the brain, while over 60% of ependymomas present in adults occur in the spinal cord. Common treatments for ependymoma include surgery and radiation therapy. The first Ependymoma Awareness Day was commemorated by releasing butterflies during the Collaborative Ependymoma Research Network (CERN) Foundation investor meeting which was held on April 19, 2012. The butterflies are symbolic of hope through change and were released to honor those with ependymoma and support research. CERN was founded in 2006 as an international group to develop new treatments for ependymoma. CERN has five major focus areas to accelerate research and treatment options for patients with ependymoma: clinical trials, tumor profiling and pathology, developmental therapeutics, tumor laboratory models and patient outcomes. Please join me in co-sponsoring this resolution designating May 5, 2015, as “Ependymoma Awareness Day” in Pennsylvania, to raise awareness of this disease through education, clinical research and offer support for patients and their families. |
Introduced as HR199