ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — July 19 is being recognized across the country as National Glioblastoma Awareness Day.
Glioblastoma is an aggressive, deadly form of brain cancer that appears to have gained more attention in recent years.
That’s due in part to the deaths of prominent figures who were diagnosed with glioblastoma, such as U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy and John McCain, as well as President Joe Biden's late son, Beau Biden.
But even here in our area on the Treasure Coast, WPTV has been reporting for years on local cases, specifically in St. Lucie County, where WPTV's reporting helped prompt a health department investigation.
An assessment found cases were higher than what would be expected for the area and demographic, but not high enough to warrant additional testing or further research into any potential cluster. A cluster was never designated.
U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., knows local glioblastoma diagnoses are still a concern in his district.
That's why he's one of the sponsors of a resolution declaring Glioblastoma Awareness Day, confident the declarations make a difference.
"If somebody suffers from a glioblastoma, there is an awareness in the medical community, the not-for-profit community, and just the communities and residents around. [They say] 'Hey, let's go talk to these people because they had a friend, a neighbor, a loved one who experienced that.' There is a different level of awareness around St. Lucie County in that respect," Mast said.
Here is some of what we do know about glioblastoma: There are only four FDA-approved drugs specific to treating glioblastoma, but no effective long-term treatments.
The average survival for people with a glioblastoma diagnosis is 15 months. Glioblastoma is more common in men. It claims the lives of more than 10,000 Americans each year.
Since 2019, Mast's office said it has helped secure more than $48 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health for neuroscience research.
