MS SC561

Designates May 17, 2018, as "Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) Awareness Day in Mississippi" to increase public awareness of this deadly childhood brain cancer.

DIPG is a high-grade brain tumor found in the brainstem that affects 250-400 children annually in the United States, most commonly elementary school-aged children.

Common symptoms include eye or face movement problems, difficulty with one-sided body movement, and speech problems, with most diagnoses occurring within three months of symptom onset.

Diagnosis is primarily made through MRI imaging, and a neurosurgeon may perform a biopsy by removing a tumor sample for microscopic study.

Directs the University Medical Center, Blair Batson Children's Hospital, and Mississippi State Department of Health to disseminate this resolution to promote awareness and commends the DIPG Foundation's efforts to fund research and education programs.