5 questions about the brain cancer diagnosed in Sen. John McCain

By Laurie McGinley, Lena H. Sun and Lenny Bernstein 

Glioblastoma, the cancer with which Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has been diagnosed, is a highly lethal malignancy that killed Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Beau Biden, the son of former vice president Joseph Biden. Here is what you need to know:

What is glioblastoma?

Glioblastoma is an aggressive cancer that is the most common of all malignant brain tumors. About 12,400 new cases are expected in 2017, according to the American Brain Tumor Association. A glioblastoma is, by definition, a grade IV astrocytoma, a kind of tumor that arises from the star-shaped cells that make up the supportive tissue of the brain, according to the association.

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Inside the 21st Century Cures Act - Cancer Today

Legislation brings high hopes for cancer research.By Stephen Ornes

When Beau Biden died from brain cancer in May 2015, his father, then-U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, turned grief into action. He spent his last year in office helping to develop the Cancer Moonshot, a U.S. government initiative designed to accelerate the pace of cancer drug development.

In December 2016, the Cancer Moonshot became law as part of the 21st Century Cures Act. The law authorizes $6.3 billion to be spent over 10 years on research into treatments and patient care for a variety of diseases. Through the Moonshot, 28.6 percent of the total amount, or $1.8 billion, will go to research focused on cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment, including cancer vaccines and immunotherapies.

Nearly 1.7 million people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer and more than 600,000 will die of the disease in 2017, according to American Cancer Society estimates. Kim Thiboldeaux, CEO of the Cancer Support Community, based in Washington, D.C., is one of the advocates who have commended the new law for drawing attention to cancer patients. Thiboldeaux calls the Cures Act a “win for patients, future and current.”

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