Gord falls into this category, having returned to his old self, physically, emotionally and his able to go back to work. If the surgery goes well (and in Gord’s case, it did) and they respond well to the chemo and radiation (with Gord, it went well), patients typically have a good run with a fine quality of life for five to ninth months. So how long does a typical glioblastoma patient have? It depends. “It’s unfortunately not a curable tumour.” “Gord has a primary brain tumour, this is one that started from within the brain itself it’s not cancer that spread from another part of the body,” Dr. It can kill about one-third of the cells while radiation may take of another 25%. James Perry, a neuro-oncologist at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, and he believes Downie will be able to complete an upcoming tour with the iconic band.Ĭhemo can beat back the disease, but it always comes back. That treatment has “clearly shrunk” Downie’s tumour, said Dr. Specific biomarkers made Gord’s tumour amenable to chemo. Gord kept his diagnosis quiet as he underwent six weeks of radiation and chemotherapy, starting with some high-dose steroids. He later went on to plea for physician-assisted suicide before he died in 2013. Donald Low, the man who came to explify Toronto’s fight against SARS in 2003. The treatment is chemo, and there’s a common standard used throughout North America. Although doctors were able to remove a big chunk of the tumour, traces of the cancer remains within the brain tissues. Glioblastoma infiltrates the brain tissue, making comprehensive surgery impossible. An MRI revealed a lesion on the left temporal lobe and subsequent surgery resulted in the diagnosis. His first major symptoms came after he had a seizure–the most common warning sign of glioblastoma–in Kingston back in December. Gord’s tumour is the kind that results in symptoms very quickly. The cause is unknown and there’s absolutely nothing to suggest the tumour resulted from anything in Gord’s lifestyle. It’s more prevalent in men than in women. Here’s everything we know so far.ĭownie was diagnosed in December with glioblastoma, a cancerous and aggressive form of brain tumour that affects two or three people out of every 100,000, making it a common form of brain cancer and a leading cause of death of Canadians between 40 and 60. This is going to be a transformational amount of money.After the shocking announcement on May 24 about The Tragically Hip’s Gord Downie’s diagnosis with incurable brain cancer, there was an update from his doctor. It's about his ability to leave a much greater mark than just his music. "It's not about me, it's about our patients and it's about him. It's just a heart-wrenching revelation for most people," he said. "Everybody's talking about Gord and about the efforts to raise money. In the past, it has been difficult to raise funds for glioblastoma, a relatively unknown and less common type of cancer that desperately needs research funding for new therapies, according to Perry. "The hope and awareness he's bringing and the unprecedented amount of money that will be focused on this type of tumour." 'A greater mark than just his music' "It's going to be the hope that will be provided for my patients and patients across Canada that are going to benefit from his courage," he said. But there are many positive things that stand out. Perry said it's too soon to say which memory will be his favourite because the tour is just halfway done. Tragically Hip's performances throughout their summer tour have been emotional and have left many fans in the audience teary eyed, says Dr.
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