PRINTER'S NO. 445
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
24
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY SMITH, DINNIMAN, TEPLITZ, HAYWOOD, FARNESE,
FONTANA AND BOSCOLA, FEBRUARY 17, 2015
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, FEBRUARY 17, 2015
A RESOLUTION
Designating February 22, 2015, as "Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine
Glioma Awareness Day" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a high-
grade glioma that originates in the brain stem; and
WHEREAS, Gliomas are malignant tumors that arise from glial
cells in the brain and spine; and
WHEREAS, DIPG occurs almost exclusively in children, and 90%
of patients die within two years of diagnosis; and
WHEREAS, There are approximately 300 to 350 new cases of DIPG
diagnosed each year in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Survival rates are linked to how much of the tumor
can be removed; and
WHEREAS, DIPGs are located in the middle of the brain stem,
often leaving little that can be removed, and treatment
primarily consists of radiation and chemotherapy; and
WHEREAS, The cause of DIPG is not currently understood, and
there are no known factors or conditions that make DIPG more or
less likely to develop; and
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WHEREAS, Research is under way to find new treatments to cut
off the tumor's blood supply and block cells from dividing and
growing; and
WHEREAS, Childhood cancer remains the leading disease-related
cause of death in children; and
WHEREAS, According to the National Cancer Institute at the
National Institutes of Health, in 2014 approximately 15,780
children and adolescents were diagnosed with cancer; and
WHEREAS, Nearly 2,000 children and adolescents under 19 years
of age lose their lives to cancer every year; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate designate February 22, 2015, as
"Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma Awareness Day" in
Pennsylvania.
20150SR0024PN0445 - 2 -
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