Does anyone know why?

philomath363 · New User Joined: 20 Dec 2004 Posts: 1

Is there any medical information on why this horrible tumor manifests?

A dear friend was diagnosed 1/04 and died 12/04. I'm no cancer expert but I have never heard of a tumor so aggressive and untreatable. And what is the number of cases diagnosed a year? This must be rare. Well, I sincerely hope its rare.

Comments will be appreciated.

Trigggl · Regular Joined: 20 Dec 2004 Posts: 25 Location: LR, Ar

My type of brain tumor, oligodendroglioma, has been estimated to occur in about 3 out of every million people. The only differentiating factor, so far, is that it happens twice as much among men. I guess that would be 2 men and 1 woman out of every million. It's been around for at least one hundred years and I wonder if it has anything to do with radio waves. I've seen stats that say my type is around 5% of all brain tumors, so, I suppose GBM's are less than 60 out of a million. These are wild guesses, so, don't quote me on them. GBM's are the worst ones. They do tend to work fast. I can expect around 10 more years myself.
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leo · Site Admin Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Posts: 1574

Hello

Brain tumors are not that rare. The problem is that they often are diagnosed late, since they grow slowly and cause symptoms only when they are very large. Also our current treatments are not very good, so there is a lot of work ahead.

best regards,
Leo
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Disclaimer: this information is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice.

Trigggl · Regular Joined: 20 Dec 2004 Posts: 25 Location: LR, Ar

[quote="leo"]Hello

Brain tumors are not that rare. The problem is that they often are diagnosed late, since they grow slowly and cause symptoms only when they are very large. Also our current treatments are not very good, so there is a lot of work ahead.

best regards,
Leo[/quote]

After my situation, my wife went to the family practice doctor to get her head aches checked out. He gave her an order for an MRI. It wouldn't be a bad idea for anyone who is worried about it to do the same. You could at least avoid the seizures. Fortunately, my wife's headaches had nothing to do with a tumor.

I do know a few people besides myself who have or had brain tumors. Most were not malignant. I know a couple of people who had cancer on the outside of their head.

How does one know to get an MRI? It would be too expensive for everyone to get one. I guess you just have to keep an eye out for the smallest symptoms and then convince a doctor you need it. I wasn't getting headaches but my vision was starting to go a little out of alignment. Different tumors in different places seem to give different indications, but they are usually not things that we take seriously. When in doubt, get the MRI.
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daisymaze · New User Joined: 30 Jan 2006 Posts: 4

My dad was told in 12/05 that he had 3 brain tumors. one in front, on the left and on his brain stem... he lasted about a week after he found out.. they had given him 2-3 wks once they told him..
It all started with colon cancer that went to both his lungs, then too his liver, and finally to his brain.. it took 7 mo and he was gone. Sad

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JeS

mike666 · New User Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 1

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/95/103146.htm

Oct. 6, 2004 -- People with mental disorders, especially mood problems like clinical depression and bipolar disorder, have a high risk of developing certain cancers at younger ages, including brain and lung cancer, new research shows.

Smoking and alcohol abuse are obvious players in this pattern, both linked with clinical depression and lung cancer in numerous studies, writes lead researcher Caroline P. Carney, MD, MSc, a psychiatrist and internist with Indiana University School of Medicine. Her study appears in the latest issue of the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

Also, some mental health problems are caused by the cancer. For example, mood disorders like clinical depression have been recognized as an early symptom of brain tumors. The increased pressure in the brain caused by the tumor can cause a variety of symptoms such as seizures or mental disturbances including depression.

But how does having a mental disorder like clinical depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder affect future cancer development? Her study delves into this pattern more deeply.

Clinical Depression and Cancer

In her study, Carney and colleagues examined the medical claims for about 722,000 adults, filed over a four-year period. Of these, about 72,000 had filed mental health claims. Researchers compared the development of cancer in this group with a separate group who developed cancer but didn't file mental health claims.

Patients whose cancer diagnosis came within six months of their first mental health treatment were not included in the study since some mental health problems are caused by the cancer and not vice versa.

People with mental disorders were no more likely to develop cancer than those without mental disorders. However, people with mental disorders were more likely to develop cancer at a younger age and had more brain and respiratory tumors.

Clinical Depression, Bipolar Disorder Raise Cancer Risk at Younger Age
(continued)
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As expected, people with mood disorders like clinical depression had higher odds of developing tobacco-related cancers (cancers of the mouth, throat, and lung), writes Carney. People with mental disorders have high rates of smoking and alcohol abuse -- both of which increase the risk of tobacco-related cancers.

She also found:

Mood disorders were the most common mental disorder linked to cancer. Thirty-two percent of men and 43% of women with mood disorders developed cancer less than two years after their diagnosis of the mood disorder.
Seventeen percent of women and 11% of men had anxiety disorders prior to their cancer diagnosis.

On average, both men and women filed their first mental health claim about one year before the cancer diagnosis, writes Carney. Because of this lag time, it appears unlikely that the cancer caused the mental disorder.

Other patterns emerged for men and women with mood disorders.

Women with mood disorders like clinical depression:

Had higher odds for developing leukemia and lymphoma -- an "unexpected discovery." Even though fatigue and lack of energy are often found with lymphoma -- and could be mistaken for depression -- the time frame for patients in her study eliminated that scenario, she says.
Were younger than the women in the comparison group when their first cancer claim was filed
Had higher odds of brain and lung tumors compared with women without mental disorders

Men with mood disorders:

Were 83% more likely to be diagnosed with a brain tumor after their first mental health claim compared with men in the comparison group
Were more likely to have more advanced cancer at diagnosis
Had higher odds for developing brain and lung tumors

Counterpoint

Diane Thompson, MD, director of psychiatric oncology at the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, was surprised by Carney's findings.

"Often when patients are diagnosed with cancer, they will say, 'I know this started because of some particular stressor -- a change in job, problems with my spouse,'" Thompson tells WebMD.

However, researchers have been unable to show a strong link between stress and cancer, she notes. "There's one exception -- women who have had a long history of chronic clinical depression have a higher risk of dying from breast cancer. This may be due to lack of compliance with treatment."

Also, when a patient has a sudden mood change, psychiatrists are trained to look for "organic" causes of depression, like brain tumors, Thompson says. These patients should receive brain imaging and other tests, she notes.

But with leukemia and lymphoma -- and pancreatic cancer -- one study showed that clinical depression is the primary symptom patients have. "It leads us to wonder if the cancer itself is causing depression, if our body's immune system is picking up on it. It may be same with brain tumors," Thompson tells WebMD.

Carney's study points to a pattern, "but don't jump to huge conclusions," Thompson says.

Nevertheless, anyone who abruptly develops a mood disorder like clinical depression should always see a doctor, she says.

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