Brain Cancer

The ways life hits us with various challenges is neither fair nor fun, but we can still find happiness.

Chronic illness causes a lot of pain, and pain always carries fear with it. One way to cope is to recognize that fear can co-exist with many other feelings. It is OK to be scared, and it is OK to keep going.

Explore why I'm still here as a 20-year brain tumor survivor, and watch a video about my story with insights to thrive.

Although still in early phases, an oncolytic virus, called DNX-2401, may be a groundbreaking therapy in pediatric patients with diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas.

The photographers’ excitement to be involved led to a number of photo sessions for “fighter families” as Dawson calls them. After just a few sessions, it was apparent the Gold Hope Project was a hit.

For those of us living with (and taking care of) people living with brain tumors, cancers and other diseases that become chronic, life's challenges begin to shift, as do our outlooks. It is important for us to be able to love our bodies, our disabilities, and for the world to make space for all sorts of bodies to exist.

Berubicin showed promise in the treatment of glioblastoma as a drug that was able to cross the blood-brain barrier.

When stuck in this space, it is tempting to hide from life, but with all the beauty in the world, it doesn't serve any of us to hide.

When asked about her favorite thing about Thea's Star of Hope, the ten-year-old explained that the organization is like a laser on pediatric brain tumors, shooting at them until, hopefully one day, poof! They disappear.

Following fertility clinic malfunctions in Cleveland and San Francisco, many patients who have or had cancer are facing devastating losses, leaving many questions in the wake of these events.

Findings from an early phase clinical trial that used a so-called “smart bomb” virus — which was altered to attack tumor cells rather than normal cells — appeared to show promise in this area.

Researchers from Texas A&M University found that circadian rhythms may be key in the timing of when chemotherapy is administered to patients with glioblastoma.

After being diagnosed with glioblastoma, experimental immunotherapy saved his life.

It's hard to stop comparing our sick bodies to the people around us, but once we do, as both patients and caretakers, we learn to honor our own experiences and value ourselves in new and beautiful ways.

In recent years, major advances have been made in the immunotherapy scape, as it has become instrumental in revolutionizing the way oncologists treat a variety of cancers. However, its success in patients with brain cancer has been extremely limited.

While causes for pneumonia were varied – including bacteria (14 percent), virus (22 percent) and unspecified (64 percent) – the majority of children did not have immune deficiencies recorded at the time of their pneumonia diagnosis.

During her cancer journey, an author and her physicist friend traded insights.

NextSource Pharma, a small pharmaceutical company based in Florida, acquired the drug lomustine from Bristol-Myers Squibb, changed its brand name to Gleostine, and changed the price – by about 1,400 percent.

Adequate end-of-life care derives a variety of benefits for both patients and their families, including less invasive and ineffective intervention and less financial burden, said study author Justin Jordan, M.D., MPH, clinical director of the Pappas Center for Neuro-Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center.

Optune is a method of treatment where adhesive patches are applied to the patient’s scalp. The patch transductors deliver low-intensity electric fields – called Tumor Treating Fields – that stop the growth and division of GBM cells.

The FDA has granted Avastin (bevacizumab) a full approval for the treatment of adult patients with glioblastoma who progressed following prior therapy, according to Genentech, the manufacturer of the VEGF inhibitor.

After tracking the progress of about 20 patients with brain cancer who used cannabis, a neuro-oncologist found that the substance caused them no harm, had few side effects and did not interfere with conventional treatments.

Can a certain diet improve cancer outcomes?

Immunotherapies are largely unavailable to patients with brain cancer, but many of these approaches are being studied both in labs and in clinical trials, and there is hope that they will eventually play a role in the treatment of gliomas.

Quality-of-life care has benefits from the outset for these patients, but because some might confuse it with end-of-life support, neuro-oncologists may be hesitant about introducing it.