Arizona Senator John McCain diagnosed with brain cancer following surgery for blood clot above his left eye Friday morning; daughter Meghan McCain releases statement, tribute to her father.
Doctors revealed Wednesday July 19, 2017 that Sen. John McCain was suffering from a specific cancerous brain tumor known as glioblastoma, which was discovered Friday July 14, 2017.
McCain was at a scheduled annual physical Friday when he reported he had been feeling fatigue over the last few months and said he had a bout of double vision. A CT Scan and an MRI were ordered, and the imaging revealed he had an abnormality in the area of the left eye or left, frontal lobe of the brain. Doctors immediately performed an urgent surgical procedure, involving a 2 cm opening in the skull near the eyebrow. The procedure removed what doctors believed was the entire tumor that they could see in the left, front area of McCain’s brain.
For glioblastomas, medical treatment includes excising as much of the tumor as possible, radiation, and chemotherapy with temozolomide (TMZ), which is now routinely given with radiation therapy.
After conventional treatment mentioned above, the survival rate for patients with glioblastomas is about 50% at 1 yr, 25% at two years, and 10 to 15% at five years. The most common survival length following diagnosis is reported to be 12 to 15 months
Outcomes are better when patients are less than 45-years-old, and when the initial operation leaves minimal or no residual tumor, and when neurologic function improves following the initial surgery.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has been diagnosed with glioblastoma, a type of brain tumor, according to doctors directly involved with his care. CNN’s Sanjay Gupta has the latest.
Glioblastoma (GBM) symptoms include headaches, seizure, memory loss, and personality changes; but sometimes there are no symptoms until the tumor grows to a very large size.
The GBM is located near McCain’s left temple, where he was diagnosed with invasive malignant melanoma in 2000. McCain had previous battles with non-invasive malignant melanoma. Following the malignant melanoma diagnoses, McCain has been regularly medically screened since 2000.
Sen. John McCain was defeated by President Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election.
In August 2009 Senator Edward Kennedy died 15 months following diagnosis of a malignant glioma, but the specific diagnosis of glioblastoma was not initially released to the public.
In May 2015 Beau Biden died about 22 months following a diagnosis of brain cancer. The specific diagnosis of the form of brain cancer suffered by Vice President Joe Biden’s son was not initially released to the public.
In May 2016, Schaumburg firefighter Mike Solberg died following a battle with GBM that lasted over 42 months. Solberg was diagnosed with GBM, just two weeks after joining the Schaumburg Fire Department in October 2012.