Brain Cancer: Personal Experiences

The brain is made up of millions upon millions of cells. These cells are formed from before birth, up until about 7 years old. Once these brain cells stop dividing, they are never meant to divide again. You can see that the division of brain cells is under strict regulation and control. When this control is lost in a single cell, then it starts dividing in an uncontrolled manner. All of the data obtained through research on cancer shows that this disease is caused by a rapidly dividing cell, with no regulators to stop it from dividing. As the cell makes more and more copies of itself, it grows to form a tumor. This is known as cancer.

Glioblastoma (pronounced like gleO blastoma) is an incurable brain cancer,Survival rate is usually measured in months.This became a word that was instantly defined, researched, dissected, feared, and tried to comprehend and understand by family,friends and acquaintances of Larry McKee (McKee)who was personally affected from this single word, it was quickly added to their vocabulary, because of the of the events that transpired on October 22, 2011 that forever changed lives “Glioblastomas are tumors that arise from the astrocytes- the star-shaped cells that make up the “glue-like,” or supportive tissue of the brain. These tumors are usually highly malignant (cancerous) because the cells reproduce quickly and they are supported by a large network of blood vessels.”(A.B.T A..) He was diagnosed with stage four.

Brain cancer develops from cells within the brain. The brain controls the vital functions of the body, including, speech, movement, thoughts, feelings, memory, sight, hearing, and more. Brain cancer affects people in many different ways. Brain cancer is diagnosed at the local stage in 76.6% of people. The 5-year survival for localized brain and other nervous system cancer is 36.3%. Brain cancer will cause anything from headaches to balance and walking problems, changes in your vision, muscle twitches, memory problems, and nausea and vomiting.

Mai is a 66-year-old female diagnosed with IV NSCLC (with multiple large brain metastases) EGFR exon 19 deletion (C34.90). Mai experienced headaches, weight loss, nausea, and vomiting. A very recent CT scan revealed multiple brain metastases, which are large, and throughout the cerebral hemisphere including both of the cerebellums. Mai is being treated with radiation, decradron and high-dose steroids, but still experienced disease progression. The denial states that Mai must try to fail Tarceva, Iressa and Gilotrif, however due to the highly acute, tumor burden brain metastases, with Tagrisso as a front-lien treatment it will actively fight against exon 19 deletion and more importantly, good CNS activity. Given these results of Tagrisso,

Malignant gliomas are the most common type of primary brain tumors. As already shown in the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States (CBTRUS) report from 1998 – 2002, gliomas account for approximately 80 % of all malignant brain tumors and at least 30 % of all brain and CNS neoplasms (Ostrom et al., 2014). A number of putative risk factors that have been associated with brain tumors have been discussed. However, there is no clear cause for brain and CNS tumors. Less that 1 % are linked to lifestyle or environmental factors (Parkin, Boyd, & Walker, 2011). The only exposure that has been shown to affect glioma risk is ionizing radiation and has been classified as a cause by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) (Cogliano

If a patient chooses to go a community based treatment route, the NCI, or National Cancer Institute, is an option they may consider. The NCI has 69 Cancer Centers that spread among 35 states. These centers include several university medical centers as well as freestanding cancer centers. The main roles of these centers are focusing on studying and controlling cancer. (National Cancer Institute [NCI], 2015)

In 2014, the American public was captivated by the story of a young woman who decided to end her life after being diagnosed with brain cancer. Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old woman who had just been married, had been having splitting headaches. She went to the doctor and was diagnosed with a tumor. Her life became a blur of hospital visits, treatment plans, and research into what she could do. Her doctors came to the conclusion that there was no treatment that could save Maynard’s life. According to an opinion piece that Maynard wrote for CNN, she “quickly decided that death with dignity was the best option for [her] and [her] family” (Maynard). Since she lived in Oregon, the idea of dying on an individual’s terms was acceptable and legal, because of the Oregon Death with Dignity Act. Maynard died on Saturday, November 1, 2014.

Brain tumors grow from abnormal cells which can be cancerous or noncancerous. Symptoms of brain tumors are headaches, muscular weakness like difficulty walking, whole body balance disorder, gastrointestinal (nausea or vomiting), sensory disorder like pins and needles, cognitive or mental confusion, speech (impaired voice), and very common blurred vision. There are various treatments for brain tumors. One includes chemotherapy which kills cells growing or multiplying too quickly. Surgery like craniotomy, this is brain surgery where a piece of bone is removed from the skull. And radiation therapy that uses X-rays to kill abnormal cells. Cancer cells can break off from the tumor into the bloodstream where they can go anywhere in the body. Noncancerous and cancerous brain tumors occur in about 12 in 100,000 people a year.

Brain Cancer is one of the primary cancers in children and young adults. Brain cancer is a malignant tumor in the brain that can grow and spread aggressively, overpowering healthy cells by taking their space, blood, and nutrients. Some tumors can metastasize to other parts of the body causing further destruction of healthy cells. The most common primary brain tumors are gliomas, meningiomas, pituitary adenomas, vestibular schwannomas, and primitive neuroectodermal tumors (medulloblastomas), named according to the part of the brain they originate in. The cause of most brain cancers are unknown, but Genetic factors, various environmental toxins, radiation to the head, HIV infection, and cigarette smoking have all been linked to cancers of the brain.

Brains Tumours: Cancer By Finlay McKibbin oGe3 Which part of the bedy dees it affect? Brain tumours effect the brain, being formed in its glial cells, which grow from the supporting cells of the brain These tumours are known as "gliomas. Considering they develop in the brain, they are formally known as primary brain tumours. Also, the part of the brain the brain tumour effects, changes the symptoms and treatments for the individual. Common Symptoms. The common symptoms of brain tumours are; Headaches: being the most common symptom, being both severe and persistent in few cases, and can come or go Seizures Nausea and vomiting Difficulty when speaking or being able to recall words Disturbed vision, hearing, smell, and or taste Weakness and or

Recent studies including a genome-wide study of certain cancers have come to demonstrate that the most common and most aggressive type of brain malignancy, or glioblastoma (GBM) comprises a shared link: alterations in the catalytic protein, isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) (1). The focus of such research is the mutant forms of NADP-dependent homologous enzymes IDH1 and IDH2 (2) - localized predominantly in cytosolic and mitochondrial regions, respectively. Both of these heterozygous point mutations modify the amino acid residue present at the active site of the original enzyme. Subsequently, neomorphic activity of the enzyme IDH is established, replacing its original function with the conversion of the α-Ketoglutarate (α-KG) to D-2-hydroxyglutarate (D-2-HG), an oncogenic metabolite (3). The presence of IDH1/2 mutants in cells is consistent with abnormally high levels of this tumor progressor, D-2-HG, which inhibits catalytic proteins that are α-KG-dependent (4). As a result, D-2-HG indirectly influences epigenetic regulation, the formation of collagen as well as histone methylation. Transgenic mouse models are now advancing to provide insight into the effects of IDH mutations in tandem with other cooperating mutations better understand glioma pathogenesis (5).

Brain tumours (BT) is common in childhood, which is approximately 3.3 per 100,000 per year (Butler, 2005). As technology develops and medical advances, paediatric cancer survivor were able to live longer than five years. However, there are late effects that can cause the ability to learn like normal kids. Stephanie Satariano had research the late effects of brain tumours that pediatric cancer survivors have experience growing up and difficulties. These difficulties effects the survivor socially, emotionally, psychically and also impact his or her ability to develops, learns, and wellbeing.

Brain cancer is a type of cancer that is located in the brain. First, the cancer starts out as a cell and then it progresses into a larger, more compacted bunch of cells which is called a tumor. Ultimately, cancer can start in different parts of the body and move to the brain or vice versa. Not to mention, cancer can take over any cell without any warning. Therefore there are many symptoms of brain cancer which include headaches, memory loss, vision problems, difficulty with balance, speech difficulty, personality changes or irritability, and seizures. The cause of brain cancer is unknown but there are many risk factors some of which are age, exposure to radiation, and family history .

I would like to start this essay by saying, I have an interest in covering this topic because I know of a couple people that are very close to me that have been affected by this condition. A doctor found a benign, tumor within my friend’s brain at the age of thirteen, but he is now twenty-four years old and as healthy as ever. My father is the other person I know who had a tumor. A team of doctors found his tumor when he was thirty-nine years old; I was only four years old at the time. His was also benign but it was within a different spot of his brain, unfortunately he passed away twelve years after he found out he had it.

The specific function of this paper is to discuss the various ways radiation therapy can affect brain cancer. Brain cancer can be treated by radiation therapy and can adversely impact the brains regulatory functions. General topics overviewed in this paper are radiation therapy and brain cancer. National Brain Tumor Society (2014), noted that brain cancer is a worldwide disease and nearly 700,000 people today are living with primary brain cancer. Radiation therapy is a treatment for various cancers. The paper specifically discusses when radiation is appropriate for brain cancer and how the treatment is delivered. In detail, the American Cancer Society (2017), found that radiation therapy can directly impact ones long and short term health,