Sen. John McCain has brain tumor, doctors say
PHOENIX — Sen. John McCain revealed Wednesday that he has a primary brain tumor. The cancer was discovered during cranial surgery last week to remove a blood clot above his left eye.
In a statement from Mayo Clinic, McCain's doctors described the tumor as a glioblastoma.
Glioblastoma tumors are typically malignant and difficult to treat because they contain so many types of cells, according to the American Brain Tumor Association.
“It’s a very aggressive tumor,” said Dr. Joseph Zabramski, a neurosurgeon at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix not involved in McCain's treatment. “In general, it is a tumor that has relentless force. You can slow it down but not stop it.”
The median survival rate for the most common type of glioblastoma is 14.6 months, according to the American Brain Tumor Association. About 30% of patients live two years with glioblastomas.
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The 80-year-old McCain, R-Ariz., is reviewing treatment options with his family. Those could include a combination of chemotherapy and radiation, according to the Mayo statement.
“Scanning done since the procedure (a minimally invasive craniotomy with an eyebrow incision) shows that the tissue of concern was completely resected by imaging criteria," the Mayo Clinic said in its statement.
"The Senator and his family are reviewing further treatment options with his Mayo Clinic care team. Treatment options may include a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. The Senator’s doctors say he is recovering from his surgery ‘amazingly well’ and his underlying health is excellent.”
A written statement from McCain's office reiterated that the six-term senator, 2008 Republican presidential nominee and former prisoner of war in Vietnam is in "good spirits" as he recovers at his home in Arizona.
“He is grateful to the doctors and staff at Mayo Clinic for their outstanding care, and is confident that any future treatment will be effective," McCain's office said in the statement. "Further consultations with Senator McCain's Mayo Clinic care team will indicate when he will return to the United States Senate.”
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Michael Berens, deputy director of the Translational Genomics Research Institute in downtown Phoenix, said McCain is fighting a very serious, aggressive cancer.
Berens, who has studied glioblastoma for 30 years, said patients who contract the cancer and undergo surgery, radiation and chemotherapy live on average 16 to 18 months.
Berens added that only about 18,000 Americans are afflicted with glioblastoma, which is unlike other cancer that spreads through the body. With glioblastoma, the cancer begins and then spreads within the brain with finger-like projections.
"The tumor cells wander around and create guerilla warfare in the brain,” Berens said.
Coincidentally, T-Gen annually presents the John S. McCain Leadership Award, named after the senator, to individuals who have made a significant impact in the fight against disease.