Brain tumor research an ongoing campaign
Sen. Edward Kennedy's glioma is most likely one of the most aggressive -- and therefore most dangerous -- brain tumors, but recent research on brain tumors at many institutions has aimed to increase a patient's life expectancy, a local cancer expert says.
Dr. M. Kelly Nicholas, director of neuro-oncology in the Brain Tumor Center at the University of Chicago, said the malignant glioma Kennedy, 76, was diagnosed with May 19 is a very aggressive type of brain tumor.
Although the specific diagnosis has not been disclosed, Kennedy's age would indicate his tumor to be of a high grade, perhaps even the worst kind: a Stage 4 glioblastoma multiforme, or GBM, Nicholas said.
Less than 9 percent of GBM patients live beyond two years and survival rates decrease with age, according to Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure, an organization devoted to finding a cure.
The tumor's malignancy means it must be at least a Stage 3 tumor.
News agencies reported surgery June 2 at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., successfully reduced the size of Kennedy's tumor.
St. Charles resident Ken Bieschke was diagnosed with a malignant glioma -- so named because it arises from glial, or supportive, tissue of the brain -- in February of 2007. The doctors didn't sugarcoat his prognosis.
"When you hear the word 'cancer,' most people think they have a fight to prepare for," said Ken's wife, Barb. "This is a different kind of cancer. You're just told 'OK, go home and get your business done.' That's a weird feeling."
Bieschke's glioma turned out to be a Stage 4 GBM. Average life expectancy for a GBM, when treated using the standard care, is just more than one year.
Research, however, has begun to make strides, 40 years after President Nixon declared war on cancer.
Deneen Hesser, the director of patient services for the American Brain Tumor Association in Des Plaines, said some of the research has determined brain tumors' biological makeup.
There is no cure in sight for malignant gliomas, but Hesser said the research could extend life expectancy.
"As we learn what the individual (biological) differences can possibly be (between two tumors), we truly are moving toward more personalized medicine," said Hesser, who has been with the cancer association 23 years.
The National Cancer Institute budgets nearly $5 billion a year for cancer research.
Nicholas said brain tumor research is active and there are more than 100 clinical trials going on right now at various institutions.
Researchers have tried to deliver chemotherapy directly to the tumor and attack viruses associated with brain tumors, such as the common herpes cytomegalovirus, among other things.
A study by Duke University researchers found they might be able to extend a GBM patient's life by attacking CMV, which is present and undetectable in 80 percent of people. However, the virus is detectable in 80 percent of GBM patients.
Preliminary results showed that by treating CMV, they delayed a GBM tumor's re-growth after surgery by an average of six months.
Nicholas said the drug Avastin, a relatively new drug in brain tumor treatment, can improve survival when malignant gliomas recur following initial treatment and his outlook for brain tumor research is optimistic.
"Recent developments suggest that we are poised to see small but significant improvements in survival for patients with this devastating form of cancer," Nicholas said.