Latest news with #tumour
Independent Singapore
3 days ago
- Business
- Independent Singapore
Cheaper brain cancer test provides more accurate results in just 2 hours
UK: A cheaper and faster brain cancer test developed by UK researchers can now identify the type of brain tumour in just two hours, offering more accurate results than current methods, PA Media reported. Patients typically wait six to eight weeks to determine the type of brain tumour they have, as samples are sent to central laboratories for genetic analysis. Experts said this long wait can be 'traumatic' and delay treatment like chemotherapy or radiotherapy. With the new test, diagnostic results can be ready in under two hours after surgery, with detailed tumour classifications available within minutes of sequencing. Researchers from the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) have developed a new method called ROBIN, short for rapid nanopore brain intraoperative classification, which assesses the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from a tumour sample. The test was applied to 50 patients and was in concordance with the standard of care in 90% of cases, according to findings published in Neuro-Oncology . Dr. Matt Loose, a professor of developmental and computational biology at the University of Nottingham, developed a method to sequence specific parts of human DNA using portable sequencing devices from Oxford Nanopore Technologies, which offers real-time analysis. Now, the team has used it to test brain tumour samples genetically. NUH neurosurgeon Dr Stuart Smith said, 'Patients find waiting many weeks for results extremely difficult and this adds to the anxiety and worry at what is already a very difficult time.' Meanwhile, NUH consultant neuropathologist Dr Simon Paine said that the method will be a 'game changer,' pointing to the speed at which results will be available and the degree of accuracy of the diagnosis. Dr. Simon Newman, Chief Scientific Officer of The Brain Tumour Charity, added that the new method will be 'transformative for all patients' as it ensures rapid access to an optimal standard of care and, crucially, removes the uncertainty patients face in waiting weeks for their diagnosis and prognosis. /TISG Read also: New white paper warns of the cost of inaction on youth mental health across APAC
CNA
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Dementia has taken my mum away, but how can I grieve her when she's still here?
Early in my career, I became a comedy writer. This wasn't surprising – I'd been raised in an environment of inappropriate wit, toilet humour, and general linguistic tomfoolery, after all. An environment that can be attributed to one person: My mother. Before her forced retirement, Cikgu Alus was a very chill primary school teacher. She was particularly fond of wordplay and nonsensical rhyming, and was especially known for her hilarious roll call in the classroom. Riotous laughter would erupt at the start of each day as she called out her students' names, each one adapted for laughs. Abu Bakar was dubbed "Abu Terbakar" ("Abu's on fire"), to the raucous delight of the kids – and she'd keep going down the list. She was far from politically correct. Everywhere she went, she was the life of the party. Even her parenting was rooted in slapstick comedy. Growing up, no matter how sad I was, she could always lift me out of my funk with her go-to trick: Slow, deliberate, upward strokes to my inordinately large forehead which would then abruptly end with a full-palmed slap so sudden, I'd forget why I was down and instantly burst out laughing. THE PARTY GOES QUIET She kept up her spirited, cartoonish ways until I was in university. I distinctly remember the day I got the call that her incessant migraines – ones that had plagued her for years – had finally been diagnosed as a benign tumour growing in her brain. In 1997, following a complicated but successful operation to remove the tumour, she started down the path of healing – one that eventually became her descent into a void, one that none of us could pull her out of. The first five years of recovery were hard, but hopeful. Day by day, she started becoming more and more like herself. Eventually, we figured we might even get her back to her joking self in time. However, things took a rough turn about 10 years ago, when my mum was in her 60s. What started as bouts of forgetfulness turned into bouts of blankness. By the time we got her diagnosed with dementia, she was already in an advanced stage. Even then, none of us knew what lay ahead: A traumatising sequence of watching a beloved parent disappear while still being physically present. IS SHE STILL THERE? Of all the known cruel ailments that affect us, dementia is among the cruellest. This isn't because it's 'more painful' or 'more severe' than other illnesses. The cruel nature of dementia is in its ability to cause pain and suffering not just for patients, but everyone around them as well. For my mother, the first to be forgotten were the spouses of her children, then her grandchildren. After some years, she reached a point where, only one or two family members are even somewhat recallable to her. As painful as this has been for myself and my siblings, the hardest hit in all of this has been my father. As her main caregiver for the past 28 years, he has had to spend every single day witnessing the love of his life slowly fade away through a relentless series of hospital visits, medications and treatments. Up to a few months ago, the one person she would always look to and smile at was my father. And me, to an extent – probably because I resemble him. Then tragedy struck. My mum, who can barely take a few steps without falling, has had numerous falls. This is despite us taking every precaution to ensure her safety: Her bed is barricaded, she is wheelchaired everywhere, and she is never left unaccompanied or unsupervised. But even as dementia robs my mother of her memory and motor functions, it cannot take away her stubbornness. She will always try to get up on her own. There is simply no reasoning with her. Even if left alone for a minute, she will almost certainly attempt to walk. A couple of months ago, she did it again. This time, she fell on her face with such force that she sustained a fractured orbital bone, internal bleeding in her skull, and even managed to tear a ligament in her knee. Multiple hospital visits later, I think this last incident has really taken its toll. SHE DOES NOT KNOW ME ANYMORE I've always been able to get her to laugh. Even in the later stages of her dementia, I could still elicit a smile – from a simple inappropriate rhyme to a quick tickle when I kissed her. There was always a spark in her eyes when I did this – a light of recognition, a connection that her son was there. But with her last fall, I think I've lost her. My father, fatigued from years of caregiving, seems to be back on track now – carrying on with care since the last incident. His advantage lies in the fact that he is with her all day, every day. Not being able to share this advantage, I find myself losing ground faster than I can come to grips with. This is something that cuts deep into my very being. On my last visit, I walked in and greeted my mother as usual – with a big smile and hug. She looked at me, and my heart started sinking when I realised that she was trying to place who I was. I immediately tried the usual humour to connect – the humour that she'd passed on to me, taught me since childhood – but she didn't react. She smiled politely, the way one does when meeting strangers for the first time. That spark, that light of recognition, had finally fizzled out. At this very moment, I am unable to grieve, because my mother is still here. But the spirited, hilarious, politically incorrect woman – the one who raised me, fed me, loved me into becoming the person I am today – she's already gone. The woman who would comfort me with soothing strokes of her hand and cheer me up with cheeky slaps to the forehead will never return to me again. How can I mourn her loss while she still lives and breathes? It's a strange but acute sort of pain, not just for myself but my siblings. All we can do is focus on maintaining caregiving support to our father, as we do our best to keep this new version of my mother – now an elderly stranger – comfortable in her twilight years.
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Drug taken by 8 million people has surprising side effect
A study found that SSRIs, a widely used type of antidepressant, could aid the immune system in fighting cancer and shrinking tumours. SSRIs increase serotonin levels, which not only improves mood but also enhances the cancer-fighting abilities of T cells. In mouse and human tumour models, SSRIs reduced tumour size by more than half and improved the efficiency of killer T cells. Combining SSRIs with existing cancer therapies further reduced tumour size in mice. Further research is needed to confirm these findings in human cancer patients taking SSRIs, researchers say.
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Mother-of-two, 39, who hadn't had her eyes tested in decades found out she had cancer after a strange symptom forced her to go to the opticians
A mother-of-two tragically discovered she had a tumour behind her right eye, which later spread to her liver, after attending her first eye test in over two decades. Hannah Quigley had 'better than perfect' eyesight her entire life until she began to experience sudden flashes of light in the run up to her daughter's 13th birthday on January 29 last year. Having recently lost her beloved father Alex McKie, 72, whom she also cared for, to lung cancer only a few weeks prior, the mother-of-two boiled down the issues with her vision to being 'tired and stressed'. The 39-year-old hadn't been to the opticians in over 24 years, but she quickly booked herself in for an appointment with her local opticians, and was later delivered life-changing news. Hannah told MailOnline: 'I didn't overthink it and I wasn't worried and I wasn't frightened. I presumed I'd go and have an eye test and be prescribed, you know, some lenses.' Here, she underwent a health test and opticians believed the retina in her right eye had detached, so she was referred to Royal Manchester Infirmary for an emergency operation to correct the issue. Reflecting on her six hours in A&E, she said: 'I sent my husband home because it was my daughter's birthday, and although we'd given a present in the morning, we bought her a new iPhone and I wanted her to have it.' But after her husband, Stewart, left, and several conversations with a myriad of consultants, she was delivered a devastating blow - she was being referred to oncology. 'I said "but that's cancer",' Hannah said: 'And she [the medical professional] said, "We're not saying it is, we're not saying it isn't and you'll, you'll hear from a referral for Liverpool within the next two weeks." 'I walked out and I felt like I've been hit by a bus. It was just not what I wanted to see or hear. 'I was sat on my own and my world fell apart. It was horrible, I was just devastated. 'It was freezing cold, it was dark, it was windy, it was raining, it was January, at Manchester, so it's miserable, and it all just spiralled from there.' 'I was gobsmacked because I felt so full of life.' She added: 'Words can't describe how you feel, I mainly thought, "oh my God, my, my family, my children." 'Because I've just witnessed my dad go through this and all the gruelling treatments before he passed away. 'It frightened me because I've seen the realisation of what this disease does to a person and to a family. She continued: 'I rang my husband to come and get me and he was with me in minutes, and I don't know how he did it in rush hour.' The following Monday, the mother-of-two underwent a five-hour operation at The Royal Liverpool University Hospital, where it was confirmed she had a cancerous tumour behind her right eye. While the procedure was a success, Hannah's vision has been left 'extremely distorted', with a test on the tumour later revealing there was a high risk of the cancer spreading. Eventually, nine months later, a second MRI found the cancer had spread to Hannah's liver, with the only option of immunotherapy which would extend her life just by a 'matter of months'. 'It just thought, this is it,' she said: 'I thought I had more time before I was dealing with this kind of issue. It was a shock, there's no other word for it. 'To have to come home and tell my family, my husband,' she added: 'He's a big strong man, but to watch him break...I think I'm just trying to be strong for everybody else, and its not a bad thing, it gives you something to focus on.' But, there was an alternative treatment, chemosaturation therapy, which could save her life, but it is unfortunately not available on the NHS. Chemosaturation treatment delivers chemotherapy directly to the liver, and could help the mother-of-two beat the disease, according to Hannah. 'I was in a state of the art cancer hospital, which we are lucky to have on our doorstep, and they were wonderful with my dad,' she said. 'So to be in this hospital and to be told they can help me, but only if I pay. It was heartbreaking to hear that those were my choices. According to the 38-year-old, the treatment is available at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust for £46,000 per cycle, of which she could need up to six cycles. 'I was naive thinking if you had private healthcare, you just got bumped up the list a bit,' she said: 'I didn't realise that you could have treatments that weren't the NHS.' However its not only the community that has rallied behind Hannah in her hour of need as she raises funds for the cutting-edge treatment, her 'resilient' children have even offered to sell their most prized possessions. 'They've had to grow up very, very quickly,' she said: 'They're wonderful resilient children, but they're still children. Tearfully recalling the moment her 11-year-old son Leo offered to sell his PlayStation to help towards funding her chemosaturation treatment, she said: 'Honestly that I'll cry now thinking about it. 'He was like "I'll sell this and I'll sell that, I'll basically I'll raid my piggy bank and we'll see if we've got enough money." She added: I'm absolutely blown away with how kind people have been. It just shows there are still very much good people out there who are willing to come together for the community.' Now, she is calling for heightened awareness surrounding eye health, adding: 'I just didn't know a tumour grow in your eye, I didn't have a clue. 'I've sat in the opticians with my children for the past ten years and I sat watching them have eye tests, and not has an optician asked me if am I up to date with my eye health. 'if that could be my legacy, for everybody who works in the opticians to check all the parents, grandparents are up to date with their eye health, you know... a life could be saved as as dramatic as it sounds.'
The Sun
12-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
I'm getting married after tumour hell – we've made unique changes to have the perfect wedding
A MUM spent 10 years complaining of back pain before a large tumour was discovered growing inside her spinal cord. Now she's being forced to walk down the aisle on crutches at her wedding. 4 4 4 4 Julie Coleman, 33, who lives in Glasgow with her fiance, Stephen, 35, and their 10-year-old son, Connor, first experienced pain in her back and legs during her pregnancy in 2014. She was told she was suffering with sciatica and her symptoms would likely subside after giving birth. When her 'shooting' leg pains persisted, Julie, who used to work for Alzheimer's Scotland but is starting a remote customer service job due to her health, spent the best part of 10 years visiting her GP surgery to raise her symptoms. But she was referred for physiotherapy sessions and prescribed painkillers instead. Julie said she 'lost trust' in her GP surgery and felt as though she would be in pain for the 'rest of my life', when in November 2024 she was finally referred for an MRI scan. This revealed a large, benign tumour growing inside her spinal cord. Faced with the prospect of becoming paralysed if left untreated, Julie underwent an operation to remove the tumour in January this year. It's thought the damage to her nerves may have been done as she has been diagnosed with a spinal cord injury and cannot feel anything below her right knee. With her July wedding on the horizon, Julie said she will walk down the aisle on crutches and she and her fiance will be seated for the ceremony, and she has launched a GoFundMe page to help her family cope with any unexpected costs due to her condition. Julie said: "I worked very hard and am now home, I can walk with crutches from my front door into a car. "Any further than that and I am still using a wheelchair. I have lost power and sensation in my right foot which has not yet returned. Watch bizarre moment man clings to helicopter as it takes off at lavish wedding after 'begging for a ride' "Doctors are unsure if this will ever return however nothing is certain until two years after which they then expect any changes will be permanent. "I am looking for support to raise funds for general new and unexpected costs. "I have also had to leave my current job, I am lucky I have been offered a different job working from home however this has come at a massive wage cut. "I'm sure you can empathise that although wages go down, bills do not. "Any donation is much appreciated and I hope my story inspires anyone going through something similar, or feeling like they know more is going on than health professionals believe, to keep pushing and advocating for yourself."
