Expert: Claes-Gustaf Nordquist, M.D. - 9/26/2008

Question
QUESTION: my brother-in-law was diagnosed with a grade 4 inoperetable brain tumor early this year.He underwent raditation, and one month of chemotheraphy at that is all. The dr.s are weening him slowly off decadron(now on 2 milligrams)and he is not improving. He sleeps 16 hours, gets fuzzy and talks slurring at times. His stomach is HUGE but the rest of his body is getting thin. He has no strength or energy and just sits around watching television. I have not been able to find anything online that says why his stomach looks like he is very very pregnant. All blood works came back normal, what is happening? I am told he pees all day and night.

ANSWER: The stomach size (like his peeing) is just a side effect of his general situation. The important thing is what is happening in his brain. In short he is dying slowly while you watch and there is nothing at present we can do about it. He will become more and more confused, will sleep more and more, drift into a coma and then pass away and that is - at most - just months away. I'm sorry I have nothing better to tell you!


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

QUESTION: Because his stomach is big and he is peeing often that tells he is just months away from going into a coma and passing? I have read when you don't pee that is a concern. Will he suffer?

Answer
No not really, the important thing here is your information that he sleeps 16 hours out of 24 presumably and that he gets "fuzzy" and slurs.
The more a brain tumor patient sleeps the more advanced the tumor is. In comparison his stomach and peeing are not very important. Besides you wrote that he pees all the time not that he holds it in. Without an examination I can not offer you any more evaluation of his abdomen. That he pees all the time may be due to less brain control.  He will probably not suffer.