Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) arriving for work on Capitol Hill hours after voting NO on the GOP 'Skinny Repeal' health care bill, on July 28, 2017, in Washington, DC. Getty Images

The death of Sen. John McCain from glioblastoma on Saturday once again sheds light on this devastating illness and the need to find a cure. It is the same brain cancer that took the life of Joe Biden's son, Beau, back in 2015, and former Sen. Ted Kennedy in 2009. "It is very sad about the outcome of Sen. McCain, yet it reminds us how brutal and deadly this disease can be and how much work is still ahead of us to combat it," said Mazen Kamen, president of the Kamen Brain Tumor Foundation in New York City. The nonprofit organization aims to provide new and effective treatment strategies for brain cancer, especially for children. Kamen's own son lost his battle to glioblastoma in 2016.

Daunting statistics

Sen. McCain's brain cancer was determined just a year ago after he underwent surgery to remove a blood clot over his left eye at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix. Lab results determined there was a link between the clot and the tumor.

Items and personal notes are left outside the office of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) as people pay their respects to the late Arizona senator on August 26, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. Ralph Freso | Getty Images

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common and deadliest of the glial tumors because the cells reproduce so rapidly. They can be found anywhere in the brain or spinal cord. The tumor grows by turning normal brain cells into stem cells, which continuously replicate and regrow. So even if a tumor is surgically removed, it is difficult to extract every cancerous cell; any left behind will result in the growth of a new tumor.

He was not only a hero during his lifetime but also a hero during his illness. ... This is a life lesson to all of us who face adversities in life. Mazen Kamen founder, Kamen Brain Tumor Foundation

Traditional therapies for brain cancer — surgery, chemotherapy and radiation — haven't been very successful, said Dr. José Baselga, chief medical officer and physician-in-chief at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, because the brain is designed so toxins can't infiltrate it. "It is very challenging to have chemotherapy get to the brain with a good dose," he said. Instead, Dr. Baselga says researchers and scientists are making strides in what he calls precision medicine.

Making new inroads in lifesaving research