Ependymoma is a brain cancer that affects children. It’s not easy to treat, but researchers from St. Jude’s Hospital found that aggressive surgery, followed by radiation resulted in a overall survival of     81% and a 7-year survival rate of up to 69.1%.
To read more about this study, go to Aggressive Treatment Effective in Kids’ Brain Cancer
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Tags: cancer blog, childhood brain cancer, ependymoma, st judes hospital

Senator Edward Kennedy, who has been battling brain cancer since May of last year, suffered a seizure not long after he was able to congratulate President Barack Obama at the start of the inaugural luncheon.
It’s no surprise that this may have happened and it may not be entirely related to the brain cancer itself. The day is a long and grueling day, with a lot of hurry up and wait. Not to mention, all the stuff that leads up to a day like today.
The reports do say that tests didn’t show any worsening of the cancer and that …read more

Glioblastoma, the most common form of brain cancer and the type that Senator Edward Kennedy was diagnosed with (Ted Kennedy works through his incurable brain cancer) may require different treatment when it strikes people over the age of 65 years.
According to a new study published in the Annals of Neurology, new treatment decisions may have to be made for seniors with this type of cancer because they tend to have more serious side effects compared with younger people and their life expectancy is shorter as well.
The press release, issued by the publisher says that researchers reviewed the:

Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End …read more

Imagine living in a small town or county and you discover that your little community seems to be a magnet for a certain type of cancer. At first, it seems odd, but then someone picks up on it: a cancer cluster.
According to the National Institutes of Health, a disease cluster is what occurs when a larger group of people than is usual become ill with the same disease. It could be that they all live in the same area, work in the same place, are from the same family, or over a specific time period. When a cluster occurs, …read more

Cancer isn’t supposed to happen. And it’s really not supposed to happen to young people. And even more, it’s not supposed to happen to athletic, fit young people. But it does. Cancer doesn’t discriminate and can happen to anyone at any me and 28-year-old Robert Muller, father of two and an elite hockey goaltender for Germany. Robert played in the world championship earlier this year.

His brain tumor was first found in 2006 and he underwent surgery and had both chemotherapy and radiotherapy. But, the type of cancer Robert has, glioblastoma multiforme – the same type that Senator Edward …read more

B also has several types of cancer in its list. Who knew there were so many different types of cancer?
B is for:
B-cell lymphoma
Basal cell carcinoma
Bellini duct carcinoma
Bladder cancer
Brain tumor
Breast cancer
Burkitt lymphoma
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Tags: cancer blog, burkitt lympohma, brain tumor, breast cancer, bladder cancer, lymphoma, basal cell cancer

It was only six months ago when the nation was shocked with the news that Senator Edward Kennedy had brain cancer (Can my headaches mean I have a brain tumor?). Senator Kennedy had had a seizure and after testing, the doctors found that he had malignant glioma, a type of cancer that starts in the brain.
Yet, only three weeks after brain surgery, Senator Kennedy dismissed his doctors’ concerns and made his way back to work for a crucial vote. He has been moved to push harder for changes in the US healthcare system, something he had been advocating for …read more

Wednesday, 23 July 2008 is the day the UPMC Cancer Center and University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute Director Dr. Ronald Herberman is to issue an advisory (pdf file link of the memorandum) on the possible health risks of cellphone use.
“Recently I have become aware of the growing body of literature linking long-term cell phone use to possible adverse health effects including cancer.
Although the evidence is still controversial, I am convinced that there are sufficient data to warrant issuing an advisory to share some precautionary advice on cell phone use.”
The advisory suggests certain measures to limit exposure to electromagnetic radiation emitted …read more

Senator Edward Kennedy has just undergone a 3.5-hour brain surgery at the Duke University Medical Center, to remove a malignant tumor.
His doctors declared the said surgery as successful.
The surgery “was successful and accomplished our goals,” according to a statement released by the neurosurgeon, Dr. Allan Friedman, at the facility in Durham, N.C.
Friedman said Kennedy was awake throughout the entire procedure and should experience no permanent neurological effects from the surgery.
A Kennedy spokesman said the senator spoke with his wife, Vicki, immediately after the surgery and told her: “I feel like a million bucks. I think I will do that again …read more

Women that are exposure to chemical weed killers – pesticides and herbicides – may have a higher-than-normal risk of developing a particular form of brain cancer called meningioma as compared to women who weren’t exposed.
Meningiomas are slow-growing tumors that arise in the tissue covering the brain and spinal cord. They are one of the most common forms of brain tumor, and occur most frequently in middle-aged women.
Such were what a U.S. study result suggests as published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Researchers found that among more than 1,400 U.S. adults with and without brain cancer, there was no overall link …read more