Neurosurgeon About Brain Cancer: 'There's Never Been A More Hopeful Time'
DETROIT (CBS DETROIT) - The office of Senator John McCain announced Wednesday that the Republican has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer. It was discovered when he underwent surgery to remove a blood clot in his left eye last week.
The brain tumor is called a glioblastoma -- and about 17,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with it every year.
This cancer tends to spread quickly says WWJ Health Reporter Dr. Deanna Lites.
While there's no cure, there is hope with immediate treatment says Henry Ford neurosurgeon Steven Kalkanis.
"There's probably never been a more hopeful time for treatment," says Kalkanis. "The treatment includes a very aggressive surgery followed by radiation and chemotherapy and also in this new era of precision medicine - looking at the molecular genetic profile of each of the tumors to match it up with a drug that is going to have the best effort for an individual patient.
There's no known cause for this type of tumor.
Symptoms include: "Slurred speech or memory problems or difficulty walking or with balance - visual difficulties -- all of these things need to be taken very seriously," says Kalkanis.
The life expectancy for this disease has ranged from 14 to 18 months.
However Dr. Kalkanis says he's seen patients who have been dealing with the disease for a decade or more.