TwoOwners t1_iwtjeg0 wrote on November 18, 2022 at 6:02 AM

So instead of dying quickly and fairly painlessly, like my father did 4 yrs ago, you get to have a prolonged (5 yr?) dying period on chemo. Sounds just great. He chose surgery which removed his ability to speak and by the time it healed he had three more tumours. ' Prolongs dying term ' is a better headline.

GuyWithLag t1_iwtopke wrote on November 18, 2022 at 7:08 AM

This is a vaccine; for it to work you need to have a working immune system, which chemo more or less destroys

TwoOwners t1_iwtqmi7 wrote on November 18, 2022 at 7:34 AM

Sorry if i sounded negative, but it is a severe and quicky spreading cancer. Is it the case the vaccine is given before the cancer is detected ie as with covid vaccines, to slow its progression if you get it? If so, when would it be offered and to whom? Obviously that's a risk decision and I would be a candidate given my father died from it. Also my point really is that living with glyioblastoma growing in your brain for many years doesn't sound like a pleasant end of life journey.

Electrical-Bed8577 t1_iwugfnh wrote on November 18, 2022 at 1:09 PM

The vaccine would at least be given at early detection, prior to chemo. As molecular diagnostics improve, perhaps sooner. These 2 links easily define symptoms, location, spread, diagnostics, current treatments. Don't delay.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/glioblastoma/cdc-20350148

https://www.aans.org/en/Patients/Neurosurgical-Conditions-and-Treatments/Glioblastoma-Multiforme

Added: Easier reading. Click topic, scroll to see. https://braintumor.org/events/glioblastoma-awareness-day/about-glioblastoma/ Tumor Metabolism is interesting.

TwoOwners t1_iww8kf6 wrote on November 18, 2022 at 8:42 PM

Thank you for your reply and the readings. I do remember this information from 5 years ago but rereading brought back the quick defeat we were facing. My father was 80 and quickly became directionless as his first symptom. A week later 2 large tumors were found. A $10k operation to remove them, yes we have health insurance here in Australia, and a month later he died with two more growing. Perhaps the removal prevented a harsh death as his was painless, to watch anyway. What I didn't know was the mean age at diagnosis is 64! So at my age of 62, your comment 'don't delay' seems reasonable, is that what you meant? For this 'early intervention' idea to work, as with all cancers, I need to: have immediate relevant brain scans based on my family hx, have said scans ? yearly, stay vigilant for symptoms.. not easy as reduced executive functioning is insidious, and at the first sign of a tumor, get access to the vaccine. The window of opportuniy to get this vaccine seems very small, but the research results say it is achievable. I've never been convinced about delaying inevitable death, especially from brain tumors, but that is a more philosophical question. When I'm faced with the decision I may alter my view. Sorry for the rant.

Electrical-Bed8577 t1_iwwgnz1 wrote on November 18, 2022 at 9:39 PM

Not at all, your concern is warranted. We all need to find out what's in our food and what's in our DNA. Also, I was spell corrected from "likely" to "at least". I meant likely. I would say, don't believe the first things you read on Google as there is much misinformation and dated information on most things. Gliomas of all types have disrupted lives of athletes in their 20's and glioblastoma are indeed a part of pediatric practice. A regressive study I saw did not include numbers from smaller medical practices, only large hospital consortiums. It does seem that males are more susceptible.

So yes, if you are generally healthy and enjoying life, see if there is a molecular diagnostic test available and note your family history. I would say to everyone that If you are having headaches, calendar them as compared to activity and diet. It may not just be that old shoulder injury or whatever you stuck into a couple days ago. Best.