Girl whose brain tumor left her paralyzed and blind 'cured' after treatment with experimental drug
Kaitlyn Dorman, 17, from Baltimore, Maryland, was diagnosed with pilocytic astrocytoma, a childhood brain tumor, when she was nine years old. An experimental drug has 'cured' her, doctors say. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - February 19, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Dylan discovers a new sport during cancer treatment
Balloons of various colors are taped in a row across the wall. Twenty yards away, 8-year-old Dylan Berio announces “yellow,” pulls back the string of his bow, then releases — smiling as he hears the pop. His arrow successfully pierced the yellow balloon.
Archery requires focus and precision — something Dylan has in ample quantities. That would be impressive in its own right, but it’s even more remarkable given that he’s been on and off chemotherapy since age 3 ½ to treat pilocytic astrocytomas (brain tumors). As a result of the tumors, he lost most of the vision in one eye, and he needs glasses for both eyes. ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - September 8, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Linda Watts Tags: Our Patients’ Stories Brain tumor Cancer Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center Source Type: news
Kelsey’s transformation: From stroke survivor to motivational speaker
“When I woke up after my stroke, all I wanted was to be normal again,” recalls Kelsey Tainsh. Normal — as in a healthy teen athlete who could brush her teeth and shower on her own, who wasn’t wheelchair-bound, who wasn’t compelled to hide her paralyzed right hand in her pocket everywhere she went, one who hadn’t lost all of her high school friends except for her two triplet sisters.
Now, this world-champion athlete not only learned to walk and talk again but also to embrace her differences. “Our hardest obstacles can be our biggest opportunities,” she says.
Kelsey’s first taste of being different came at ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - March 16, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Lisa Fratt Tags: Our Patients’ Stories Brain tumor Mark Rockoff R. Michael Scott stroke Source Type: news
Christmas season brings special gifts for “Young and strong” violinist with brain tumor
On December 5, just after the students of Carolyn Bever’s Violin Studio finished playing “The First Noel” for the residents of the Pines Senior Living Community in South Burlington, Vermont, 9-year-old Sophie Fellows quietly left the stage because of a headache. The next day she was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and the following day she was transported by ambulance from the University of Vermont Medical Center to Boston Children’s Hospital.
“Christmas concerts are my most favorite part of [playing the ] violin,” Sophie says. “I felt really bad that I couldn’t finish the concert.”
The day before Sophie’...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - January 5, 2015 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Guest Blogger Source Type: news
Study shows tale of 2 prognoses in pediatric brain tumor, pilocytic astrocytoma
(University of Colorado Denver) Research presented at the American Society for Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting 2014 used a newly designed test for K:B fusion to show that point mutations lead to a more dangerous form of the disease than does K:B fusion. (Source: EurekAlert! - Cancer)
Source: EurekAlert! - Cancer - June 2, 2014 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news
Global connections: Khalid’s story
When faced with a sick child, every parent in the world wants the same thing—the best care possible. Often, all it takes is a quick visit with the local health care provider. Occasionally, it means a trip to the local hospital or short stay at an academic medical center. In rare cases, obtaining the best care requires an extraordinary effort.
A mother finds herself researching the world’s best pediatric neurosurgeons. An uncle turns to YouTube to learn more about brain tumors. Physicians on opposite corners of the globe find ways to communicate and collaborate. And a family boards an air ambulance, embarking on a 7,000...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - February 10, 2014 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Lisa Fratt Tags: All posts Global health Brain tumor neurosurgery Source Type: news
Suspicions confirmed: Brain tumors in children have a common cause
(Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres) An overactive signaling pathway is a common cause in cases of pilocytic astrocytoma, the most frequent type of brain cancer in children. This was discovered by a network of scientists coordinated by the German Cancer Research Center (as part of the International Cancer Genome Consortium, ICGC). In all 96 cases studied, the researchers found defects in genes involved in a particular pathway. Hence, drugs can be used to help affected children by blocking components of the signaling cascade. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - July 9, 2013 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news
Brain Tumor: Pilocytic Astrocytoma
Pilocytic Astrocytoma is a type of benign brain tumor that rarely spreads into surrounding tissues. Starting in brain cells called astrocytes, this type of tumor is slow-growing tumor but can become very large. (Source: MyBiopsy.org)
Source: MyBiopsy.org - October 7, 2009 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news
