My 50 yr old mom has terminal brain cancer. Do u know anything about it?

Question

I know the treatment regimine is chemotherapy. The Dr.s' said chemo can shrink it but may not be able to remove it completely. So basically there's no way out, but does anyone know any places that are very good with treating it, or any facts that might be helpful to me?They've allready took out a tumor. She has three little tumors too deep in her brain to be removed by surgery.

Answer 1

I am so sorry to hear this. I know that there are many things you can do about cancer in general, but not specifically brain cancer. I used to have a friend who I lost touch with who actually healed herself of an inoperable brain tumor through holistic and naturapathic methods.

Change to organic foods. Juicing with organic fruits and vegetables will revitalize her like a blood transfusion and help fight off the cancer. She needs to do this at least once a day, but even 2 to 3 times if necessary. It might even be best if she went a few days just on juicing with the organic fruits and veggies. And the important thing is to use ORGANIC. You don't need to put a lot of toxins and pesticides in a body that is trying to fight for it's life. Everything organic, organic, organic.

Below are a few links of the supplements that I used along with regular medicine to help fight off my stage 4 breast cancer. Please check them out. Utilizing these types of adjunct treatments along with the regular medical treatments could make all the difference in the world between life and death. Just because they say it's "terminal" doesn't always mean it. Doctors only know the limits of what their medicine can do, but utilizing natural methods in addition has resulted in miracles. I was supposed to be terminal. I had three forms of aggressive breast cancer at the same time, which had gone in to my lymph nodes in my arm as well as my neck, and cancer cells in my lungs. I am completely cancer free right now and am doing all I can to maintain that status.

Don't give up. Tell you mom not to give up. I was 52 when I was diagnosed. She has a lot more of life to live just make a determination to fight for it and have a positive attitude. But you have to be proactive and stay on top of it. Hopelessness and giving in will be self fulfilling prophecies. Hang tuff. Have your mom visualize her immune system fighting off and killing the cancer cells and them having to leave the body; after taking the things that help to strengthen the immune system. Believe it or not, these types of things work.

Your family will be in my prayers. Good luck...

Answer 2

Seizures do not necessarily mean that the end is near! My brain cancer was diagnosed after I had a few seizures. I've been through chemo., radiation, and several clinical trials throughout the past ten years. My doctors have not said that I am cured, but one did say that he thinks "we got it" and that they don't think it will come back! I take two antiseizure medications daily and am doing very well.

My suggestion for you would be to go to a medical center that has a brain tumor center. I live in Virginia, so I go to Duke. A recent issue of U.S. News and World Reports magazine has the annual ratings of many hospitals all over the nation. You should look at that and see what is the best hospital that is close to your mom.

Talk to your mom's doctor(s) before she tries any alternative/natural treatments of any kind. They can interfere with the treatment prescribed by the doctor(s).

Answer 3

Unfortunately, I know a little too much about this particular malady, having lost my father to it.

As for the treatments, expect your mother to become weak and tired from it. There was a new treatment that showed some real promise a few years ago, with taking a medication for colon cancer and injecting it into the tumor in the brain, the tumor was supposed to have shrunk. As I lost my father before the clinical trials really got underway, I stopped keeping track of it.

One thing you need to be made aware of:
My dad's oncologist told us (and very accurately, I might add) that eventually, my father was going to start having seizures. When that happens, they ahve turned the final corner, and there is no coming back.
Fortunately for my father, his first seizure was also his last.

I wish you and yours the best of thoughts in the coming times.

Answer 4

the best hospital to go to is ucsf they are the only one capable to make a map of your brain. if they take the tumor out she will live longer than if it wasnt removed. my nanas doctors told her she would have about 3 months left and she went to ucsf and got her tumor removed and lived for another year and a half. i miss her alot but i am glad she had that operation. trust me it is worth it

i hope your mom gets through all of this just make sure she stays positive

Answer 5

I am so sorry. Sending you some major love and prayers. That said...get her to Stanford or UCSF in California. They are doing some leading edge stuff. The most important thing you can do is just be there for your Mom and let her choose the path. You are just there to hold her hand and love her during this journey. Prayers to you both. Stay strong.

Answer 6

I'm so sorry. I feel really bad for you and your mother. Have you tried the Mayo Clinic or went to mayoclinic.com? I wish I had a good answer for you and I hope that someone who does sees this and responds. I will be praying for her. GOD Bless!

Answer 7

I am truly and deeply sorry to hear about your Mother. I have pasted a lot of information below and I hope that it can be of some help. I also pasted some Patient Resource Information. Check them out for more information and with help on getting your Mom Better! However please visit the website People Living with Cancer. http://www.plwc.org This is a WONDERFUL website full of lots of information including more treatment options! Best of Luck to you. You are your Family are in my Prayers. Take Care!

Through ongoing research, the medications used to treat cancer are constantly being evaluated in different combinations and to treat different cancers. Talking with your doctor is often the best way to learn about the medications you've been prescribed, their purpose, and their potential side effects or interactions. For more information, see Drug Information Resources.

People diagnosed with CNS tumors generally need to seek treatment without excessive delay. The pressure caused by growing CNS tumors can cause severe symptoms, including a backup of CSF and problems with blood circulation, which can damage delicate nerves and deprive cells of nourishment.

Treating brain and spinal cord tumors can be difficult. The blood-brain barrier, which normally serves to protect the brain and spinal cord from damaging chemicals entering those structures, also keeps out many types of potentially beneficial chemotherapeutic drugs. Surgery can be difficult if the tumor is near a delicate portion of the brain or spinal cord. Radiation therapy can damage healthy tissue. However, research in the past two decades has improved the survival rates of patients with brain tumors. More refined surgeries, a better understanding of what types of tumors respond to chemotherapy, and precise delivery of radiation have resulted in a longer life span and better quality of life for patients with brain tumors.

Surgery

Surgery is the most common type of treatment for brain tumors and is often the only treatment performed for benign brain tumors. Even if the cancer cannot be cured, its removal can relieve symptoms if it is creating pressure on parts of the brain. There have been rapid advances in surgery for brain tumors, including the use of cortical mapping and enhanced imaging devices to give surgeons more tools to plan and perform the surgery.

Surgery to the brain requires the removal of part of the skull, a procedure called a craniotomy. After the surgeon removes the tumor, the patient's own bone will be used to cover the opening in the skull. Gliadel wafers that deliver chemotherapeutic drugs (see below) require surgery to put the wafers in the tumor bed site. This may be done at the same time as a craniotomy.

In addition to removing or reducing the size of the brain tumor, surgery can provide a tissue sample for analysis. For some tumor types, the results of the analysis can help in showing if chemotherapy or radiation therapy will be useful.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy is the use of high-energy x-rays or other particles to kill cancer cells. Oncologists may use radiation therapy along with surgery to slow the growth of aggressive tumors. Radiation can be directed in the following ways:

The linear-accelerator machine provides external-beam radiation therapy from outside the body to target the tumor within the brain; this is becoming increasingly more precise with the addition of multileaf collimators (a device that restricts and confines the x-ray beam to a given treatment area).

In stereotactic radiosurgery, a computer assembles images from CT scans or MRI scans to locate the tumor and help direct the radiation. This may involve the use of an external head device to "marry" the patient's head/tumor location to the incoming radiosurgery beams.

Brachytherapy uses radioactive seeds implanted directly in the tumor site; however, this treatment technique is rarely used at this time for a brain tumor.

Radiation techniques

The following radiation techniques may be used:

Conventional radiation therapy. The treatment field size is set up based on anatomic landmarks and x-rays. In certain situations, such as whole brain radiation therapy for brain metastases, this technique is appropriate. For more precise targeting, more elaborate techniques are required. Chemotherapy may be used in conjunction with radiation therapy.

Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy. Based on CT and MRI images, a three-dimensional model of the tumor and normal tissues is created on a computer. Beam size and angles are determined that maximize tumor dose and minimize normal tissue dose.

Stereotactic radiosurgery. Stereotactic radiosurgery involves delivering a single, high dose of radiation directly to the tumor and not healthy tissues. It works best for a tumor that is only in one area of the brain and select benign tumors, but is also used for multiple metastatic brain tumors. There are three methods by which stereotactic radiosurgery is performed:
A modified linear accelerator is a machine that creates high-energy radiation by using electricity to form a stream of fast-moving subatomic particles.


A gamma knife is another form of radiation therapy that concentrates highly focused beams of gamma radiation on the tumor.


A cyber knife is a robotic device used in radiation therapy to guide radiation to the tumor target—particularly targets in the brain, head, and neck regions.
Fractionated stereotactic radiation therapy. Radiation therapy is delivered with stereotactic precision but divided into small daily fractions over several weeks using a relocatable head frame, in contrast to the one-day radiosurgery. This technique is ideal for tumors located close to eloquent or sensitive structures, such as the optic nerves or brain stem.

Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Radiation therapy is delivered with greater intensity or dose to thicker areas of the tumor and with less intensity to thinner areas of the tumor. This is accomplished by placing tiny metal leaves in the beam to reduce the intensity of the beam to customize the shape of the dose to the shape of the tumor.

All of these more elaborate techniques are designed to achieve greater precision and minimize the dose to the surrounding normal brain tissue. Depending on the size and location of the tumor, the radiation oncologist may choose any of the above radiation techniques. In certain situations, a combination of two or more techniques is appropriate.

Very young children (younger than 5) are not usually appropriate candidates for radiation therapy because of high risk or danger to their developing brains.

For more information about radiation therapy, see the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's pamphlet, Radiation Therapy for Brain Tumors.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. The goal of chemotherapy can be to destroy cancer remaining after surgery, slow the tumor's growth, or reduce symptoms.

Although chemotherapy can be given orally (by mouth), most drugs to treat cancer are given intravenously. IV chemotherapy is either injected directly into a vein or through a thin tube called a catheter, a tube temporarily put into a large vein to make injections easier. Some chemotherapeutic drugs are better at going through the blood-brain barrier. Also, the oncologist may use intrathecal or regional delivery of chemotherapy agents, in which the drugs are injected directly into the CSF or into the tumor through a tiny tube. Gliadel wafers are another delivery method of the chemotherapeutic drug carmustine (BCNU), a less-toxic form of chemotherapy that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Temozolomide (Temodar) is an oral chemotherapeutic drug that is well tolerated by most patients.

Since chemotherapeutic drugs affect normal cells as well as cancer cells, many people experience side effects from treatment. Side effects depend on the drug used and the dosage amount. Common side effects include nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, fatigue, low blood count, bleeding or bruising after minor cuts or injuries, numbness and tingling in the hands or feet, headaches, hair loss, and darkening of the skin and fingernails. Side effects usually go away when treatment is complete.

Rarely, certain drugs may cause some hearing loss. Others may cause kidney damage. Patients may be given extra fluid intravenously for kidney protection. The oncologist may also prescribe corticosteroids to reduce swelling and help to relieve symptoms.

Combination chemotherapy may also be used. For malignant brain tumors, it is expected that a combination of treatments will be required. Typically, treatment begins with surgery, followed by radiation therapy, and then chemotherapy. In rare situations, however, the chemotherapy may come before the radiation therapy. In other situations, the chemotherapy is administered during the radiation therapy. The decision on what sequence to follow is made by the oncologist or neuro-oncologist.

The latest standard of care for patients with glioblastoma is radiation therapy with oral temozolomide (Temodar), at a reduced dose, followed by monthly doses of temozolomide after radiation therapy until such time the doctor determines that the patient has had enough chemotherapy to remain stable or the cancer is deemed recurrent and the chemotherapy is discontinued.

Convection enhanced delivery (CED) chemotherapy is a new method that allows chemotherapy to be delivered more safely and effectively by pumping the therapeutic agent under pressure directly into the brain. The agent links only to receptors located on tumor cells. By targeting the tumor cells, CED helps conserve healthy brain cells and prevents adverse side effects commonly found in traditional systemic (full-body) chemotherapy delivery methods.

Advanced/recurrent brain tumors

If, in spite of initial treatment, the brain tumor does not go into remission (the temporary or permanent disappearance of symptoms) or if it recurs, patients can still receive care to manage the symptoms caused by the tumor. Symptom management is always important since the symptoms of brain tumors can interfere with quality of life.

Since brain tumors are so rare, it can be hard for doctors to plan treatments unless they know what has worked in treating other patients with a brain tumor. Clinical trials are research studies that compare the standard treatments (the best treatments available) with newer treatments that may be more effective. Investigating new treatments involves careful monitoring using scientific methods and all participants are followed closely to track progress.

Due to advances in research, newer drugs or molecules are being created to combat brain tumors. Many of these new drugs are called "small molecules" or "molecularly targeted therapies" because they are small in size (and can therefore be taken orally) and/or can attack a specific molecule or target with the brain tumor cells. These new drugs are being tested either alone or in combination with standard chemotherapy.

Patient Information Resources
American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA)
2720 River Rd., Ste. 146
Des Plaines, IL 60018
Toll Free: 800-886-2282
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
www.abta.org

The Brain Tumor Foundation
1350 Avenue of the Americas, Ste. 1200
New York, NY 10019
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
www.braintumorfoundation.org

The Brain Tumor Society
124 Watertown St., Ste. 3-H
Watertown, MA 02472
Toll Free: 800-770-TBTS (8287)
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
www.tbts.org

The Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation
20312 Watkins Meadow Dr.
Germantown, MD 20876
Tel: [phone]
www.childhoodbraintumor.org

Children's Brain Tumor Foundation
274 Madison Ave. Ste. 1301
New York, NY 10016
Tel: [phone]
www.cbtf.org

National Brain Tumor Foundation
22 Battery St., Ste. 612
San Francisco, CA 94111
Toll Free: 800-934-CURE (2873)
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
www.braintumor.org