Expert: Claes-Gustaf Nordquist, M.D. - 3/24/2008

Question
QUESTION: On the 8/3/08 my mother(81)collapsed at 5am in the toilet luckily my brother heard as did my father(87).It has transpired that Mum has a 6.2cm left frontal lobe tumor.Mum has lost the ability to put sentences together but is fully aware of what one says or does.Also her coordination is is mixed up and is weak on her right side.
Please could anyone with any feedback drop me a line My name is Brendan Leo Keogh and bleok@hotmail is my mail address.
Many Thanks in advance,Bren

ANSWER: I'm sorry to hear this! What have been done so far? What kind of tumor do they think it is? Without knowing that it is impossible to offer any evaluation.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Many Thanks for your reply The tumor is a 6.2cm primary tumor of the left lobe; Affecting speech and coordination as yet no biopsy has or will be done The consensus is that the tumor is not malignant and is a benign mass in the left frontal lobe.The Hospital Team say an operation is out of the question.Recently Mum had become paranoid and started burning herself in the kitchen and would use the wrong name for things and was generally more tired in the afternoon.Until the day before Mum collapsed and for all her life she had attended 10am Mass only changing from the earlier 7.30am Mass five years ago when my Father was diagnosed with I.T.P.And started driving again and drove to  10am Mass every day since then.Thank God no accident happened on the road even though it a short journey we're very lucky.
I hope I have helped you with extra information and If you  need any more information Don't hesitate to ask;
Respectfully Brendan Keogh.
Needless to say she has fallen twice since being hospitalised on the 8th and it has been on the watch of the same head nurse for my Mum's section However since I talked to her about same and my displeasure of her competency I haven't seen her on duty since.

Answer
Well the only way to treat this kind of tumor - if benign - of this size is by the use of surgery. If surgery is impossible then I unfortunately have no other option to offer. Without a biopsy it is hard to understand how they can be so sure it is benign! Or is it a meningioma? But if it is I wonder why no surgery is contemplated at all? Is it possible for you to get a copy of her case history and give me the important parts here? Otherwise it is har for me to evaluate this.