Senator Kennedy’s glioma
Posted on July 28, 2008
Filed Under All, My Brain |
The Gulker household has an unusually deep, if understandable, interest in glioma - here’s a description of the disease I wrote for a post on one of my writer’s email lists. So, naturally, we’ve been reading accounts of Senator Kennedy’s bout with glioma with interest, even as we wish him all the luck in the world. We know how hard it is to deal with this disease.
The New York Times’ latest account reports an extraordinary consultation that the Senator convened with many renowned doctors, including UCSF’s Dr. Mitch Berger, who performed an exploratory craniotomy on me in November of 2006. The story lends credence to the notion that the Senator is suffering from a stage 4 glioma, also known as glioblastoma multiforme. After the consult, Senator Kennedy opted for surgery aimed at reducing the cancerous mass in his brain.
While the Senator, chair of the Senate’s Health Committee, can command resources not available to those lacking his wealth and position, the article makes the point that it’s very important to get at least a second opinion, and that very expert advice is available, if at the cost of persistence, in pursuing the most expert doctors. My experience has shown that those few hospitals designated by NCI as comprehensive cancer centers are the best places to find help…
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Thanks for posting this, Chris! The full article was posted also on the Livestrong blog and I read it from start to finish with keen interest (because of you).