Duke neurosurgeon: Average glioblastoma patients live 13-17 months

THEY ALL AGREE HE IS A

FIGHTER.>> SENATOR McCAIN

TWEETED THIS THIS AFTERNOON, I

GREATLY APPRECIATE THE

OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT.

UNFORTUNATELY FOR MY SPARRING

PARTNERS IN CONGRESS I WILL BE

BACK SOON.

AFTER RECENT SURGERY HE LEARNED

HE HAS A MALIGNANT BRAIN TUMOR

AND HIS FRIENDS SAY HE IS

RECOVERING AT HIS HOME.

WE LEARN TODAY THAT THE SURGERY

INCLUDED THE REMOVAL OF A

GLIOBLASTOMA.

ONE OF THE DEADLIEST FORMS OF

CANCER.

AS THE DOCTOR EXPLAINS IT'S THE

START OF A AGGRESSIVE TREATMENT

TO FIGHT IT.>> EARLY REPORTS

OF SENATOR McCAIN'S ILLNESS WAS

ATTRIBUTED TO A BLOOD CLOT THE

BLOOD THE I BUT EXAMS LED TO A

DIAGNOSIS OF A BRAIN TUMOR

CALLED GLIOBLASTOMA.>> IT'S

ONE OF THE MOST AGGRESSIVE

BRAIN TUMORS THAT WE TREAT.>>

THE DOCTOR SAYS ON AVERAGE

SURVIVAL AFTER A GLIOBLASTOMA

IS 13 TO 18 MONTHS.

SENATOR KENNEDY RECEIVED

TREATMENT FOR THE SAME TYPE OF

BRAIN TUMOR.

DESPITE SENATOR McCAIN'S 80

YEARS OF AGE, HE HAS MANY

FACTORS IN HIS FAVOR AS HE

FACES AGGRESSIVE CANCER

TREATMENT.>> IT SOUNDS LIKE

HE'S A VERY STURDY AND HEALTHY

INDIVIDUAL.>> IN THE LAST DECADE

THERE HAVE BEEN MANY ADVANCES

IN BRAIN TUMOR TREATMENT

INCLUDING EXPERIMENTAL

THERAPIES THAT USE THE BODY'S

OWN IMMUNE SYSTEM TO KILL

CANCER CELLS.

BUT WE HAVE PEOPLE HERE

CURRENTLY AT DUKE THAT ARE

BEING TREATED THAT ARE NOW MORE

THAN 10 YEARS OUT WITH THE

TUMORS.>> THE DOCTOR JOINS US

NOW.

BRAIN CANCER EXPERTS DO THE

EVER TALK IN TERMS OF A CURE?>>

THEY DON'T TALK IN TERMS OF A

CURE FOR GLIOBLASTOMA PATIENTS.

THE GOAL IS TO KEEP THE DISEASE

AT BAY FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.

SURGERY, CHEMOTHERAPY,

RADIATION OTHER STANDARDS.

NOW THERE ARE MORE EXPERIMENTAL

THERAPIES.

HE SAYS THE NEXT WAVE OF

THERAPIES WILL COMBINE

TREATMENTS AND PERSONALIZED

THERAPY WILL RUN FOR SPECIFIC

MOLECULAR MARKERS FOR THE

TUMOR.>> GIVEN ALL HE'S BEEN

THROUGH IN HIS LIFE, HE SAID HE

WANTS TO GET BACK TO WORK ON

CAPITOL HILL, IS THAT REALISTIC

GIVEN THE TREATMENT HE WILL

NEED?>> IT DEPENDS OFTEN ON

THE LOCATION OF THE TUMOR IN

THE BRAIN.

FOR EXAMPLE A TUMOR IN THE LEFT

FRONTAL REGION WHICH WAS

REPORTED WHERE HIS WAS LOCATED,

AFFECTS SPEECH AND STRENGTH ON

THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BODY.

HE HAS DETERMINATION ON HIS

SIDE SOME OF THE PATIENT'S CAN

DO QUITE WELL AND SOME LIVE AS

LONG AS 10 YEARS OUT FROM THE

DIAGNOSIS.

A LOT OF THE PATIENTS ONLY

SURVIVE ABOUT 12 MONTHS OR SO.

WE WILL CERTAINLY KEEP YOU

POSTED ON HIS PROGRESS AND WISH

HIM ALL THE BEST.>>'S INNER

STRENGTH CAN ONLY HELP HIM.>>