Quote Originally Posted by Grace View Post
Karen, 20 years survival after surgery for a malignant brain tumor is a miracle!!

You are correct about the type of tumor - I addressed that in my response to Laura's Babies. Different cell types mean different treatment options and different outcomes. But overall, the prognosis for a malignancy in the brain is not good. Part of the problem is the location. Inside the brain, space is very limited, there is no place to spread out.

I'm curious, did you have a pituitary tumor?
No, I had an acoustic neuroma, which is a tumor on the hearing nerve. That is why I am deaf of one side, but it was removed, so it would not keep growing slowly and eventually kill me.

But I had it removed right at Mass General, and at the time (12 years ago), there were only 8 places in the entire world that surgery could even be done. So Senator Kennedy is in the right place. My surgeon, Dr. Ojemann, has since retired, but I am sure others equally as kind and talented are still there.

They said on the news this evening the usual prognosis for a glioma is 1-5 years survival, but as has been noted, things are improving for cancer treatment all the time.