Tumor removal from the Temporal Lobe

SkyHog

SkyHog

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Everything Offends Me
Anyone happen to know how often these types of surgery are successful? If age of patient matters, he's 61.
 
Actually the answer is not so simple. It depends. What type of tumor, where in the temporal lobe, which temporal lobe, what is the patient's hand dominance, is it even in the temporal lobe, what symptoms.

PM me with specifics, and I will tell you what I can.
 
Details such as type of tumor, size, malignancy, and metastasis would effect prognosis.
 
I don't know details, unfortunately....the surgery has begun. I'll know in about 2 hours how it went.
 
I presume that it's someone you care about, Nick. Prayers for a successful outcome.
 
I am making the assumption that the fact that it was discovered on Saturday, and they went into surgery today means it was pretty important to get it ASAP. Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing yet.
 
SkyHog said:
I am making the assumption that the fact that it was discovered on Saturday, and they went into surgery today means it was pretty important to get it ASAP. Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing yet.
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That doesn't necessarily modify the success rate of the procedure.

Take appendix removal. An inflamed appendix needs to come out RIGHT NOW, but the surgery is quite routine (presuming they get in soon enough).
 
SkyHog said:
I am making the assumption that the fact that it was discovered on Saturday, and they went into surgery today means it was pretty important to get it ASAP. Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing yet.
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Most brain tumors can be removed on an elective or semielective nature(meaning not an life or death emergency). Temporal area tumors come in all shapes and sizes and flavors, and depending on a number of variables outcomes can differ tremendously. So it depends. Good luck.
 
He appears to be ok, but will be in ICU for a few days. I assume that not dying on the operating table means a pretty good sign that the surgery is a success, minus the evaluation as to whether they got everything, right?
 
Depends - if it is a glioblastoma [a fairly common brain cancer] 2 year survival rates are abysmal. But then no treatment times are around 3 months. Depends on the type but going in and getting it immediately if its gettable is step 1. . .
 
comanchepilot said:
Depends - if it is a glioblastoma [a fairly common brain cancer] 2 year survival rates are abysmal. But then no treatment times are around 3 months. Depends on the type but going in and getting it immediately if its gettable is step 1. . .
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Actually not exactly true anymore. Read up on temodar, and avistin. They make a huge difference in responsive tumors. No treatment survival rates depend on the presenting symptoms, and location of the tumor, but for many patients 3 months may be overly optimistic.
 
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Apparently, it looks bad....

"Type 4 Aggressive Glioblastoma" with about a 1 month TTL without chemo.

:(
 
That does sound bad. What is the prognosis with chemo?
Would it be to presumptuous and personal to ask who this person is or what they are to you? If you would prefer to keep that confidential, I understand. I may be speaking out of turn, but I believe we are all praying and pulling for this person, and we don't even know anything about them.
 
comanchepilot said:
read this - especially the chart at the bottom. . .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glioblastoma_multiforme
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That chart is based on data that is on a article published in 2003, and if I remember correctly only utilized patients treated with radiation therapy, and current therapy for GBM includes chemotherapy which has skewed the survival numbers to higher survival rates for tumors that respond to chemotherapy(about 50% in my experience).
 
I have removed my subsequent post. Douglas has some real credentials in this area and is knowledgeable. I am it seems about 10 years out of date on this one. Thank you, Doug.

This remains, a Baaaaaaadd disease.
 
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I offer my condolences... a very good neurologist and I had a discussion about glioblastomas a few months back up at work...

The way he explained it, with the glial cells being the scaffolding (gross oversimplification, bear with me)... a tumor involving the glial cells (glioma, glioblastoma, etc) is like a "fog" invading the brain. This characteristic makes it difficult to "get it all" surgically.

I do not claim to be an expert in any way on this matter, but have never heard much good news about this sort of cancer..
 
Doggtyred said:
I offer my condolences... a very good neurologist and I had a discussion about glioblastomas a few months back up at work...

The way he explained it, with the glial cells being the scaffolding (gross oversimplification, bear with me)... a tumor involving the glial cells (glioma, glioblastoma, etc) is like a "fog" invading the brain. This characteristic makes it difficult to "get it all" surgically.

I do not claim to be an expert in any way on this matter, but have never heard much good news about this sort of cancer..
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As for the functions of glial cells we find out more about what they do every day. They used to be thought to be only scaffolding, but now it is thought they do much much more. The issue with glioblastoma is that what you see as the tumor on the studies typically MRI but also cat scan is really only the worse part of the tumor. The tumor puts out tentacles in all directions that can only be seen on a microscopic level, and in fact, studies done in the 50's and 60's on autopsy showed tumor cell scattered throughout the entire brain. It is still a bad diagnosis, but thankfully some real talented people have helped to give some hope to those with the diagnosis. Unfortunately, not every tumor responds, and for the unwary there are a lot of snake oil salesmen out there selling ineffectual treatments as well.
 
Have had three folks I either know directly or through friends get one of these in the last 18 months - and two are now dead and one is having significant functional deficits. The treatment [at City of Hope] is working to restrain the development of the tumor but the removal affected a lot of motor function along with some side effects of the chemo.
 
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