Expert: Claes-Gustaf Nordquist, M.D. - 12/7/2008

Question
I had a siezure in my sleep - my wife called 911 and they took me to hospital and found a tumor in the right frontal lobe. this was operated on and removed(100%) od what the doctor could see. it was originally rated as a grade 2 but on second opinion it was graded as a grade 3 anaplastic astrocytoma.
I have undergone radiation to the effected area (30 days) and am currently on Temodar for the last 6 months.
my oncologist wants me to be on temodar for a year total.
What kind of life expentancy can I look forward to. No one seems to have a answer as i am told studies are just studies and I being 40 years of age have a very good chance of beating this.
I would appreciate it if i can get a answer regarding life expentency in similar cases.

Answer
Well you have asked a straight question and that surely deserves a straight answer. Your tumor was a malignant (cancer like) brain tumor. Such tumors in general have a bad prognosis. How bad generally follows the grade of the tumor. So the higher the grade (4 is worst) the shorter the survival time will be. We are here ONLY discussing survival time AFTER treatment which means that it is at present not possible to cure a patient even with full treatment. At the same time it is - as you have already noticed - difficult to grade brain tumors correctly and even to reach the correct diagnosis. There seems to be some uncertainty with regards to the grade of your tumor. A grade 2 tumor can live for quite a number of years after treatment. A grade 3 tumor however a considerably shorter time. So to a large extent it comes down to if you had a grade 2 or a grade 3 tumor.  All what treatment at present can do (with surgery, radiation therapy & chemotherapy)is to further extend survival time but no real cure is possible at present. I do hope your tumor turns out to have been a grade 2. I'm sorry I have nothing better to tell you!