McCain Has Brain Cancer

[Kathianne]

They found it with the blood clot removal. Hope he does ok, though I wonder if there will be a special election now in AZ?

[SMTA]

They found it with the blood clot removal. Hope he does ok, though I wonder if there will be a special election now in AZ?
I don't care for his career actions, but I hope that he gets the treatment that is best.
As a cancer survivor, I have empathy for what he has.

[NightTrain]

I thought it was weird that Mayo Clinic made the announcement... he must be in fairly bad shape to have not done it himself.

Brain cancer is what ultimately got my Dad back in '01, and I remember them saying at the time that Chemo didn't work on brain cancer, but Radiation was somewhat effective so that's the route they took with him. With McCain they're talking about using both, so I guess they've got a new Chemo that is effective nowadays.

I haven't liked much of McCain's politics for many years now, but I hope he survives this.

[jimnyc]

Oh man, and apparently the prognosis on such the brain cancer doesn't look good, like 3 years max? :(

I hope you find a way to overcome, Mr. McCain.

I'm certainly no longer a fan of his, that's for sure. But I'm 100% in his corner if battling this disease.

[jimnyc]

Not the most promising article.

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Why McCain's Glioblastoma Will Be the Fight of His Life

The senator was diagnosed with glioblastoma, the same tumor type that killed Senator Edward Kennedy and Joe Biden's son Beau. I wrote about my own experience of a loved one named Steph with glioblastoma in a PJ piece in April.

Glioblastoma multiforme is a very aggressive tumor of astrocytes, star-shaped cells that are part of the glia. We used to think of glial cells as sort of the infrastructure of the brain, supporting and surrounding the neurons, but recently it's been discovered that astrocytes, in particular, have signaling functions of their own.

Astrocytes are tangled into the structures of the other glial cells. This image of an astrocyte gives an impression of how they are woven into the brain.

https://i.imgur.com/jbbYV6f.jpg

It doesn't form nice distinct tumors; instead, the malignant astrocytes infiltrate and surround many other kinds of cells, as well as mineral deposits, blood vessels, and dead cells. Because it is so insidious it's almost impossible to completely remove the tumor, either with chemotherapy or radiation. While there are some newer treatments, the long-term survival odds are very bleak, particularly in someone McCain's age.

There are a number of new experimental treatments. I described one in April: a device called Optune (https://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2017/04/05/her-name-was-steph/), which creates an alternating electrical field in the brain. This field apparently disrupts cell division. Since cancer cells are dividing rapidly, and normal brain tissue hardly divides at all, this has the effect of slowing tumor progress substantially.

Rest here - https://pjmedia.com/trending/2017/07/19/why-mccains-glioblastoma-will-be-the-fight-of-his-life/

[jimnyc]

Some responses from GW Bush, and from Obama. Both very supportive and some excellent communications.

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Bush 43 Called McCain to Offer Encouragement: 'Instead, He Encouraged Me'

http://i.imgur.com/XlMc8Dc.png

http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/brain-tumor-president-tweet-statement/2017/07/20/id/802871/


Obama to McCain: 'Cancer Doesn't Know What It's Up Against'

http://i.imgur.com/bSGWPcf.png

http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/obama-mccain-cancer-diagnosis/2017/07/20/id/802823/