My Mother Has Terminal Brain Cancer - Looking for Treatments...

R.:I can understand your concern over the appropriate age for introducing children to end of life. Let me tell you what happened to me/my family over this same issue and maybe that will help. I am now 42 but at age 11 my mom was diagnosed w/breast cancer--radical mastectomy/radiation/chemo. That was in 1975. At age 42,(1977) it had gone to her hips/femurs/up her spine/to her brain. My sister, 9.5 yrs younger (a suprise for my mom at 38) was kept out of the loop. I cared for mom while dad worked. I had 3 older bro's, 1 recently a quad (5/11/77).She was DX'd about 3.5 wks later w/the metastatic bone CA. Mom passed 1 wk b4 my sis's 4th b-day. Dad refused to let her go to funeral home & say goodbye. On her b-day--I was the 1 designated to tell her where mama had gone. It deeply affected us for many yrs. I think young children are far more resilient & spiritually able to handle end of life w/close ones that we adults are. They have such a beautiful, simple view of life. Sis resented the decision against inclusion for most of her life. If your little one is close to mom-mom, I believe she'll be fine to visit w/her thru out the process. Saying goodbye through a viewing may be hard, but it gives children closure-especially when it isn't sprung on them. Life & death are all certain-you may save her from dealing w/this much later in life when she realizes what suffering is. Just my experience. You sound like a wonderful, loving, caring, mom/daughter. How blessed your mom & child are. Take care & God Bless you & your mom as you go thru this. J.

My mom battled breast cancer for 19 years (diagnosed premenopausal at stage 3 went to stage 4 within five years). It ultimately metatisized throughout her body, including her brain. She was treated at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. Honestly, I don't think we would have had the last 10 years with her if it weren't for them.

I can't completely say that I have been there but I do have a brain tumor myself. It is benign and is being removed later this year. I am seeing Dr. Bruce in NYC. I can give you more information if you want to contact him. He is a top doctor with Columbia University Neurological Center in Manhattan and has been recommended to me as a great doc. I actually just saw him today and feel very confident with his recommendations. Let me know

T.

I'm sorry to say that it sounds like your mothers cancer has metastasized from the breast. Have they done a PET scan to see if it has spread in any other areas of her body?? Specifically lungs, bone, or liver?? What has her oncologist said?? Treatments for brain cancer depend on the cell type, tumor size and their location. Gamma knife is used to shrink the tumors (sort of a radiation type treatment). Chemo is tricky with the blood brain barrier issue and this all depends on the type of tumors and like I said their location. If they gave the time frame you said then they are probably are unoperable.
I am very sorry you are in this predictament but you must think of quality of life for your mother. I know this must be the hardest thing you have ever dealt with but you have to think about having your mother comfortable and at home with her family and enjoying her granddaughter vs being very ill and in pain during the last days of her life. Many drug companies offer literature for you to use in condoling young children.

Also since your mother is so young, has anyone else in your family Aunts,grandmothers, had breast cancer? If so you might want to thinks about genetic testing.

R. -
I am sooo sorry to hear about your mother's illness. Brain cancer just plain sucks. It will most likely take your mother's life, but there are some things you can do to help. My Mom died almost 2 years ago from a glioblastoma multiform in her brain. One of the treatments that worked really well for a little while in her case was the gammaknife. Many cancer centers have it now - it's a treatment where many small gamma radiation beams are focused on the exact area of the tumor at once from many different directions. It results in a very potent one short of radiaiton. For some people as I understand, the gammaknife actually shrinks the tumor, and some, depending on the type of tumor, can actually go into remission. There are also some University type settings that are doing trials of gene therapy for brain tumors. My Mom's tumor and her age made her not qualify for those studies, but you might try. You might try contacting the Tug McGraw foudnation - He was a famous baseball player that died of brian cancer (Tim McGraw the country singer's dad) I believe they have a website. Unfortunately, I did not find the American Cancer Society to be very helpful, but you might try them as well for contacts about brain cancer. My last suggestion is to take control of her treament. We found that between the surgeons, the GP's and the cancer doctors, nobody had the same story. There will be no single doctor is charge of her care because of how complicted the brain is. Also, when it's time - Call hospice. They are wonderful!
My prayers are with you -

R.,
I am so sorry to hear of your mothers illness. I hope she can make a turn around. The only cancer treatment center I can think of is Cancer Treatment Centers of America. You see there ads on tv all the time. Sorry I can't be of more help. :(