Latest news with #brainCancer
Washington Post
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Dennis Georgatos, a longtime sports writer for the AP and San Jose Mercury News, dies at age 70
LODI, Calif. — Dennis Georgatos, a longtime sports writer for The Associated Press and the San Jose Mercury News and author of multiple books on the San Francisco 49ers, has died at age 70. Georgatos died on June 25 following a battle with brain cancer, his family said. He spent his final weeks at his vineyard near Lodi, California, as he visited with family and friends.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Former NFL LB Bryan Braman fights rare form of brain cancer
Former NFL linebacker Bryan Braman is fighting a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer, at the age of 38. Diagnosed in February, he has had multiple surgeries while undergoing treatment in Seattle. Via a GoFundMe page has been created to assist Braman with expenses arising from his treatment. As of this posted, more than $53,000 has been raised. Former teammate J.J. Watt has given $10,000, and other former teammates have contributed. Advertisement Braman and Watt joined the Texans in the year — 2011. Braman was undrafted, but he made the team and remained in Houston for three seasons. He played the next four years with the Eagles. Braman capped his NFL career with a win over the Patriots in Super Bowl LII. En route to the championship, Braman blocked a punt in the divisional round win over the Falcons. Braman, who appeared in 97 career regular-season games, contributed mainly on special teams. One of his more memorable moments came in the final game of his rookie season, when he lost his helmet and still made the tackle on a punt return.
Health Line
04-07-2025
- Health
- Health Line
Treatment Options for Brain Cancer
Key takeaways Surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy are common treatments for brain cancer, and they can be used alone or in combination. The specific approach depends on the cancer's characteristics and location. Targeted and electric field therapies are additional options for managing brain cancer. Clinical trials, like those researching immunotherapy, also offer promising new treatments that could improve the outlook for people with this condition. A brain tumor happens when cells in your brain begin to grow and divide out of control. While some brain tumors are benign (noncancerous), others are malignant (cancerous). There are a few different treatments that may be used for brain cancer, either alone or together. And clinical trials are currently testing new treatments for brain cancer that can help to improve your outlook. Keep reading to learn more about each treatment, how it's used, and the side effects associated with it. Can you survive brain cancer? It's possible to survive brain cancer. But survival can vary greatly based on many factors, such as the type of brain cancer that you have and your age. Surgery for brain cancer Surgery is a part of treatment for many brain cancers. During surgery, a neurosurgeon will try to remove as much of the tumor as possible without affecting the function of your brain. Surgery is often done by craniotomy. This is where a small opening is made in your skull, allowing for access to your brain. You may be under general or local anesthesia during surgery. While operating, a neurosurgeon can use various techniques to help them safely remove your tumor without damaging the surrounding tissue. These can include: Using surgery in combination with other brain cancer treatments like radiation therapy (RT) may be able to eliminate smaller, less aggressive cancers. But this can be more challenging for cancers that are larger or more aggressive. Surgery can also be used for other purposes. These include inserting a shunt or drain to reduce intracranial pressure or placing an Ommaya reservoir to help deliver chemotherapy (chemo). Side effects of surgery for brain cancer Some of the possible side effects of surgery for brain cancer may include: a reaction to the anesthetic infections bleeding swelling of the brain seizures loss of brain function Radiation therapy for brain cancer RT uses high-energy radiation to destroy cancer cells. It's often given for brain cancer using a radiation source located outside of your body. This is called external beam RT. Radiation has the potential to damage healthy brain tissue, so several methods have been developed to help lower this risk. An example of one is conformational RT, which makes a 3D image of your tumor and shapes the radiation to fit to it. You may receive RT after surgery to help kill any remaining cancer cells. RT may also be one of the main treatment options if your cancer can't be operated on. This may be the case if your cancer is: very extensive located deep within your brain found at or around an area that's vital for brain function Side effects of radiation therapy for brain cancer Some of the potential side effects of RT for brain cancer are: fatigue nausea or vomiting headache hair loss cognitive changes, which can include issues with memory, difficulties with concentration, or changes in personality increased risk of a second cancer Chemotherapy for brain cancer Chemo uses drugs that disrupt the ability of cancer cells to grow and divide. It can be used along with other treatment types, such as surgery or RT, or alone when other treatments haven't been effective. While many chemo drugs are given directly into your bloodstream or taken orally, this isn't always possible with brain cancer. The reason is that many chemo drugs can't cross the blood-brain barrier. As such, some chemo may be given directly into your cerebrospinal fluid. Other types of chemo may also be given as a wafer that's placed in your brain during surgery. A few examples of chemo drugs used for brain cancer, either alone or in combination, are: carmustine lomustine procarbazine temozolomide vincristine Side effects of chemotherapy for brain cancer The possible side effects of chemo include: nausea or vomiting diarrhea mouth sores loss of appetite hair loss low blood counts, which can cause: anemia an increased risk of infections easy bleeding Targeted therapy for brain cancer Targeted therapy uses drugs that target specific markers on or in cancer cells. Currently, there are only a handful of targeted therapy drugs used for brain cancer. Bevacizumab (Avastin) inhibits a protein that promotes the growth of blood vessels around tumors. It's given by an intravenous (IV) line and may be used to treat glioblastoma. Everolimus (Afinitor) blocks the activity of a protein involved in cell growth and division. It's taken as a pill and is used for some types of astrocytomas. Side effects of targeted therapy for brain cancer Specific side effects can vary based off of the targeted therapy drug used. But some of the more general side effects of targeted therapy drugs may include: fatigue loss of appetite nausea diarrhea mouth sores headache an increased risk of infections Alternating electric field therapy for brain cancer Alternating electric field therapy exposes a tumor to electric fields that affect its ability to grow. This type of therapy involves the use of a wearable device called the Optune system that generates those electric fields. The Optune system is used for people who recently received a diagnosis of glioblastoma or those who have recurrent glioblastoma. Side effects of alternating electric field therapy for brain cancer Some of the side effects that you may have while using alternating electric field therapy include: skin irritation where the device and its electrodes are placed on your scalp headache seizures low blood counts and digestive side effects when used with chemo Clinical trials for brain cancer Clinical trials evaluate potentially new or improved ways to treat a disease or disorder. They're essential for testing the safety and effectiveness of new treatments before they're made more widely available. One type of treatment that's being heavily researched for brain cancer is immunotherapy. This is a type of cancer treatment that helps your immune system respond to cancer. It's already used for many other cancer types. For some people with brain cancer, receiving treatment through a clinical trial may be recommended. This is particularly true if you have a cancer that: is rare or very aggressive has a limited number of approved treatment options hasn't responded to conventional treatments has come back after treatment If you're interested in a clinical trial for brain cancer, talk with your medical care team. They can recommend clinical trials you may qualify for. You can also find clinical trials through the website of the National Brain Tumor Society or by searching What's the outlook for a person with brain cancer? The outlook for people with brain cancer depends on many factors. These include: the type of brain cancer you have the grade of the cancer, which estimates how quickly the tumor may grow where the tumor is in your brain how large the tumor is whether or not the tumor can be removed using surgery and, if so, how much of the tumor can be removed the presence of certain genetic changes in the tumor cells your age and overall health For example, the 5-year relative survival rate for adults ages 20–44 years old with diffuse astrocytoma, a slow-growing cancer, is 73%. In contrast, the 5-year relative survival rate is 22% in the same age group for glioblastoma, an aggressive cancer. If you've recently received a diagnosis of brain cancer, your medical care team will consider all of the factors above to give you a better idea of your individual outlook. Relative survival rate vs. survival rate A relative survival rate suggests how long someone with a condition may live after receiving a diagnosis compared with someone without the condition of the same race, sex, and age over a specific time. This is different from overall survival rate, which is a percentage of people still alive for a specific time after receiving a diagnosis of a condition.
Daily Mail
04-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Former Australian of the Year shares update on his cancer battle
Former Australian of the Year Dr Richard Scolyer has revealed he has recently experienced some 'tough times' in this battle with stage four brain cancer. The globally-renowned pathologist was diagnosed with 'incurable' brain cancer in June 2023 and has been sharing his journey with Australians ever since. Dr Scolyer shared a photo of him undergoing an MRI to Facebook on Friday, writing he had recently experienced some 'tough times' but was recuperating. 'It sure is amazing to be back out there participating and enjoying life,' he said. 'A month or so ago, I had some tough times with recurrent brain tumour and additional challenged. These were associated with swelling of my brain which can cause changes in how I am functioning. 'However, now I am feeling much better and loving spending time with my wonderful family and friends.' The post was quickly flooded with well-wishes from supporters. 'You are such an inspiration to us all and enjoy the time with your beautiful family,' on person commented. 'You're a true fighter and so incredibly honest with your journey. We're all cheering you on Dr, you're an inspiration,' a second wrote. 'Love your outlook on life, whatever it may be, keep family and friends close to your heart,' a third said.
Entrepreneur
30-06-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Grief Forced Me to Step Away From My Company. These 5 Systems Made It Possible.
When a personal tragedy forced me to step away from my business for two weeks, I relied on these systems to keep it running. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. When you're running a business, taking time off usually means planning weeks (or months) in advance. You take great pains to line up coverage, prep clients, schedule out social media posts and hope nothing unexpected comes up while you're away. But life doesn't always give you a heads-up. Recently, I had to step away from my company for a full two weeks after losing my dad to brain cancer. He had been fighting the disease for a while, but when things rapidly progressed and he entered hospice care, I knew I needed to be fully present with him and my family. Planning a funeral, getting all of his affairs in order, being there for my loved ones and going through my own grieving journey led to an emotionally overwhelming two weeks. And for the first time in my entrepreneurial career, I was able to fully step away, and the business kept running. Money still came in. Clients were taken care of. Social media didn't miss a beat. Proposals kept going out. And it reminded me why I built my business the way I did. Whether you're in the middle of a personal crisis or just in need of a vacation, you shouldn't have to choose between your life and your business. Here are some of the strategies that made it possible for me to unplug for two weeks, and how you can start applying them to your own business right now. Related: Why You Still Need to Take Time Off in a Time of Crisis 1. Build a team you trust not only to "do," but to think It's one thing to have a team that completes tasks. It's another to have people who can anticipate problems and come up with solutions before you even know there's a fire. The real MVPs on my team are more than doers, they're thinkers. They know our goals, understand our clients and make decisions confidently. If your team constantly waits for your approval before they take action, you're the bottleneck. And I've been that bottleneck before. Empower your team to act in your absence by encouraging independent thinking and clearly defining what success looks like. When I had to step away, I didn't have to worry about whether things would fall through the cracks, because my team had it handled. That kind of leadership and trust is priceless. 2. Systematize everything If your business only works when you're working, you don't have a business — you have a job. One that owns you. The key is to get everything (especially the knowledge in your head) into systems your team can access. In my business, we use a work management platform to manage all of our client projects. Every deadline, deliverable and task is visible. So when someone needs to step in (like when my project manager went on maternity leave last year), it's seamless. Start documenting your processes now. It doesn't have to be fancy. A shared Google Doc with step-by-step instructions works just fine. If you ever want to scale or sell your business, documented systems are essential. 3. Delegate outcomes, not just tasks Entrepreneurs are notorious for micromanaging. I've been there, thinking I could do it faster or better because I've been in marketing for 20-plus years. But that mindset limits growth. Instead of assigning tasks, delegate goals. Give your team the "what" and let them figure out the "how." In doing so, it builds confidence, encourages ownership and often leads to better results than you would've achieved on your own. Making this shift will let you focus on the big picture and step away when needed because your team knows how to move the ball forward. Related: Delegating Doesn't Mean You Lose Control — It Means You Maximize Your Impact. Here's How to Do It Effectively. 4. Automate everything you can When I was out, my business's billing ran automatically through an online payment processing platform. Our emails continued going out weekly through our CRM system. Social media posts were scheduled out a month in advance. All of that happened without me lifting a finger. That's the power of automation. You don't need a massive tech stack. Just look at where you're repeating tasks and ask, "Can this be automated?" Think about: Online scheduling tools for appointments Recurring invoices and ACH billing CRM email sequences to nurture leads Social media schedulers to stay consistent These tools won't just save you time, they'll also give you peace of mind. Related: How I Automated 50% of My Business Tasks and Scaled Without Hiring More Employees 5. Practice being absent This one might sound strange, but it's essential: Learn how to be gone. If your business can't function without you, then it's not truly scalable. Take small steps by blocking off time where you're intentionally unavailable. Skip a meeting or take a few hours off in the middle of the day. Start slow if you need to, but start. Eventually, when something unexpected happens — or when an exciting opportunity comes along — you'll be able to step away without everything falling apart. Entrepreneurship is about freedom. Not just financial freedom, but time freedom too. It doesn't matter if it's a personal emergency or just a trip you've been dreaming of taking; you should be able to step away from your business and trust that it will keep moving in your absence. I didn't build this kind of business overnight. It took years of trial and error, delegation, automation, and growing a team I could count on, which wasn't easy. But I can tell you from experience: It's worth it. Because when life happens — and it will — the last thing you should have to worry about is whether your business will survive without you.
