BRAIN TUMORS ON THE RISE

Brain tumors appear to be on the rise in New York City. It seems that every other person knows someone who had, is being treated for, or has a brain tumor, operable or inoperable. In the past, one almost never heard of brain tumors except in the rare, unlucky person, and these were actual growths on the brain. Almost all of the tumors today appear to be gliomas or glial cell carcinomas, reported to be among the deadliest form of brain tumors. Radiation is believed to be the cause because these tumors almost always are accompanied by a pocket of radiation surrounding the tumor.

But what exactly is a glial cell carcinoma? It is nothing more than a pocket of liquid on the brain. It is caused when the brain is heavily radiated in a specific location causing it to release blood and fluid. The brain does not heal in the same manner as other parts of the body, particularly when radiated repeatedly, so this pocket of liquid literally sits on the brain for months and collects additional radiation. The area becomes sore and waterlogged, and eventually begins to cause intense pain, sufficient to send someone racing toward the emergency room or the nearest physician.

A brain scan will reveal the pocket of liquid which one is then told must be surgically removed. Any surgery on the brain adds further trauma and, if followed by radiation treatment, has a debilitating effect on the entire body. So what is the easy cure for glial cell carcinoma? Although I am not a physician, it seems that one might simply inject a syringe and drain the fluid from the brain. Radiation is not produced by the brain so one also might try to determine the source. Since targeted radiation seems to have caused the problem, additional radiation might aggravate the problem so it seems that this should not be an option for treatment. But it generally is.

Here is one option for anyone diagnosed with glial cell carcinoma: Stay put. The life expectancy is claimed to be less than one year. Would you like to spend that year undergoing stressful and painful treatments, relaxing on the beach, or sipping a steaming hot caramel macchiato while reading your favorite non-fiction. If you choose one of the two latter options and avoid persons holding cell phones that are pointed directly at your head (and especially avoid the cell phone drill app), you are likely to survive much longer than a year.