Expert: Claes-Gustaf Nordquist, M.D. - 3/27/2008

Question
QUESTION: my mothes had a 4cm tumor in the left frontal lobe,we made a surgery which turned to be very successful as the surgeons succed to take out all the mass but the biopsy showed the tumor is malignant one with cells graded 3 and 4.Now we are doing radiotherapy.Although the surgery has no obvious damages my mother is getting more and more confused,sometimes panicking,problems with the nervs,she is mixng the names of things and start to forgot,she is agressive more than ever,my question is how does this diseace continue,what follows?I am so csared sometimes she is not the same person that she was before.The only one hope that i have are the last brain pictures that showed no spread in the brain and in the body.is there a chance my mother to live and this sympthoms to turned to be post surgical effects?

ANSWER: Unfortunately not. All malignant brain tumors have very bad prognosis, especially those of grade 3 and 4. Radiation therapy and chemo therapy can slow the process down but not give any cure. Nor can surgery even when it looks successful. These tumors always come back. Her personality change is most probably due to the location of her tumor. Higher personality functions are more or less located in the frontal lobes so both her tumor and her surgery may have harmed functions there. Her surgery and radiation therapy etc. will prolong her survival time but the usual survival time of this kind of tumor - with therapy - is around 1 to 2 years. I'm sorry I have nothing better to tell you!


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QUESTION: I would like to know for the same case how does this illness is going to continue,how she is going to feel in the future,because I am really scared,I have no other relatives,no sisters,no brothers we're only both of us,I am 22,so it's me to be around the worst days,anyway i have heared about lots of survivals although they have malignant tumors...........

Answer
Unfortunately malignant brain tumours have very few if any survivors. I'm sorry about your situation! She will become more and more confused, may develop stroke like symptoms even epileptic fits. She will sleep more and more. Eventually drift into a coma and then pass away. there will be very little pain - if any.