May. 15, 2017
HARRISBURG – Rep. Tarah Toohil (R-Luzerne) joined her House colleagues last week in unanimously adopting a resolution designating May 17, 2017, as “Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) Awareness Day” in Pennsylvania.
DIPG is the second most common malignant brain tumor in children, and by far the deadliest. There are between 200 and 400 cases annually in the United States, and the five-year survival rate is less than 1 percent.
“With
House Resolution 44, we are honoring those children who are fighting this deadly disease and those who have lost the battle,” said Toohil. “We also hope to encourage Pennsylvania residents to learn more about DIPG and other pediatric cancers along with the challenges of finding sufficient resources to fund research.”
Since DIPG is located in the middle of the brain stem, surgical removal is rarely a treatment option. Treatment primarily consists of radiation and chemotherapy, but the median survival time is only nine months after diagnosis.
Representative Tarah Toohil
116th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Contact: Rep. Toohil’s Office
717.260.6136
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