Glioblastoma, the worst grade of brain tumor
Started with headache, underwent surgery in 8 days
Precise yet extensive tumor removal
Chemoradiation therapy – standalone anticancer treatment
“Think of your family and increase your will to fight the disease.”
For a complete cure, the patient must trust the doctor
“Don’t be fooled by fake treatment information floating around.”
Kang Kyung-ah (55) underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor in February 2018. Six years and seven months have passed since then. It has been over 5 years, so it is virtually ‘completely cured’. However, the possibility of recurrence has not completely disappeared. Kwon Jeong-taek, professor of neurosurgery at Chung-Ang University Hospital, who treated Mr. Kang, said, “There is no concept of a cure for brain tumors,” and added, “Even after five years, brain tests must be performed periodically to determine whether there is recurrence.” This means that you still need to pay attention to your health.
Still, Mr. Kang’s physical condition is very good these days. Mr. Kang said, “There is not much inconvenience.” I exercise a lot and travel more often than before. Enjoy your second life. At first, Mr. Kang was not much different from any other cancer patient.
A significant number of patients blame heaven when they are diagnosed with cancer. Mr. Kang was like that too. At first, I thought about why something like that happened to me, even though I didn’t commit any sin. Mr. Kang also worried that his illness might be passed down to his children. The first question I asked Professor Kwon was, “Is it passed down to children?” I was at least relieved to hear that there was no possibility of heredity. I felt so sorry to my parents, thinking that I had committed a disloyal act that hurt their child first. However, Mr. Kang soon came to his senses and actively fought cancer. We heard about Mr. Kang’s battle with brain tumor.
●Brain tumor, causing headaches and vomiting
The headaches started on February 15, 2018. I thought it was an occasional occurrence and wasn’t too worried at first. I just bought painkillers and took them. But the headache did not go away. Rather, symptoms of nausea and vomiting were added. Four days later, I left home to attend my daughter’s college graduation ceremony. As soon as I got out of the car, I started vomiting again and did not stop. I quickly went to the nearby clinic. The doctor told me to quickly go to the emergency room of a large hospital. Mr. Kang headed to the emergency room at Chung-Ang University Hospital. Brain imaging was performed. It was a brain tumor.
In relation to this, Professor Kwon explained, “Vomiting is the most common symptom of a brain tumor. As the pressure inside the brain increases, patients vomit, and in more severe cases, some patients may lose consciousness or even develop epilepsy.” He also added that because Mr. Kang came to the hospital quickly during the vomiting stage, he was able to deal with it well afterwards.
If you have a headache caused by a brain tumor, the symptoms tend to get worse when you wake up from sleep. When you are awake, breathing is smooth, so there is plenty of oxygen going to the brain, and the pressure inside the brain is maintained at an appropriate level. However, when you sleep, the amount of breathing decreases, the oxygen in the brain decreases, and the pressure inside the brain increases.
Professor Kwon said, “In fact, it is difficult to confirm whether a brain tumor exists through headaches alone,” and added, “The best prevention method is to undergo a brain examination, including cerebrovascular disease, every five years.”
●The worst glioblastoma
In Mr. Kang’s case, there was a malignant tumor in the front right part of his brain. The size of the cancer reached a whopping 6cm in diameter. Although the large cancer mass was a problem, the type of cancer was a more serious problem. The diagnosis was glioblastoma, a type of brain tumor. The World Health Organization (WHO) divides brain tumors into 4 grades according to severity, and glioblastoma is in the worst grade 4. Glioblastoma occurs throughout brain tissue. Although it varies depending on the patient’s condition, the 5-year survival rate is generally less than 10%. It is such a fatal cancer. But there is no need to be scared in advance. Professor Kwon said, “Treatments are being developed one after another and medical technology is improving, so we expect the survival rate to increase.”
However, Mr. Kang’s situation was literally worse. A genetic test showed that the rate of malignant tumor growth was too high. There is a gene that suppresses cancer, but even that did not work for Mr. Kang. To put it simply, it was a type of cancer that spread faster and was not as effective as the medicine. Professor Kwon recalled the time, saying, “Mr. Kang’s condition was so bad, in this case, he might only live for about six months to a year,” and “I thought that even with surgery, the results might not be good.”
However, Professor Kwon chose surgery. Professor Kwon said, “It is a difficult surgery, but I thought that if I didn’t have surgery, my life expectancy would be less than 6 months. Fortunately, it was an area where the cancer could be widely removed, so I thought I could do the surgery boldly.” . A surgery date was quickly set. Four days later, Mr. Kang was on the operating table.
After a large resection of the front part of the brain, the cancerous mass was removed. Unlike other surgeries, brain surgery can cause side effects such as full-body paralysis if even minute nerve tissue is touched incorrectly. To prevent this, a separate ‘surgical monitoring device’ was used. During the surgery, we frequently check whether the patient has any loss of sensation or movement of the limbs. Fortunately, in the case of Kang’s surgery, this situation never occurred. It took nearly half a day to complete all surgeries. Professor Kwon said, “These days, as equipment such as brain navigation devices become more advanced, there is a trend to reduce surgery time and remove cancer more safely.”
![I overcame the worst form of glioblastoma… Healthy life for over 6 years and 7 months [병을 이겨내는 사람들]](https://dimg.donga.com/wps/NEWS/IMAGE/2024/09/25/130098148.1.jpg "I overcame the worst form of glioblastoma… Healthy life for over 6 years and 7 months [병을 이겨내는 사람들]")
●“I overcame chemotherapy while thinking of my family.”
The surgery was completed successfully. But the treatment was not over. One month after the surgery, I started chemotherapy and radiation therapy (CCRT). This is a method in which chemotherapy and radiation therapy are administered simultaneously rather than separately. Professor Kwon said, “For glioblastoma, simultaneous chemotherapy and radiation therapy is the standard treatment.”
Mr. Kang received treatment every day on weekdays, except for two days on the weekend. This type of chemotherapy and radiation treatment lasted about 40 days. I thought it was all over now, but it wasn’t. I immediately began independent chemotherapy. I had to undergo a total of 6 cycles of chemotherapy, 5 times a month, or 30 times.
This whole process was not easy. Mr. Kang strengthened his mind and strengthened his will to fight the disease. There was a reason for that. This was when Mr. Kang went home after being discharged from the hospital. I saw my daughter crying after searching about glioblastoma. At that time, Mr. Kang decided, “I will definitely overcome my illness for the sake of my family.”
While undergoing chemotherapy, I lost my appetite. I also felt nauseous. But I held on and ate a lot to save up stamina. Usually, cancer patients lose weight because they are unable to eat properly during chemotherapy. However, Mr. Kang actually gained weight.
The year I had surgery to remove a brain tumor was the summer of 2018. It was a time when a record-breaking heat wave was raging. However, Mr. Kang braved the heat and climbed the mountain for about an hour and a half every day. Exercise wasn’t easy either. It was droopy. Still, I climbed as high as my physical strength allowed. In this way, Mr. Kang endured chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
●“You must trust your doctor”
Mr. Kang said, “The medical staff not only saved my life, but also saved the lives of my family.” Mr. Kang selected ‘faith in medical staff’ as an absolutely necessary virtue for a cancer patient’s complete recovery. In fact, doctors can be difficult for patients to communicate with. It is not easy to trust and follow a doctor who assumes the ‘worst case situation’. Because of this, some patients are looking for another ‘special prescription’. But Mr. Kang never did that. I only followed Professor Kwon’s prescriptions.
In reality, many cancer patients cannot do this. After getting cancer, people join patient communities such as Internet cafes to find more information. The problem is that the information circulating in this community can sometimes be toxic.
Mr. Kang also got a lot of information from internet cafes. However, I did not attempt any method that went against Professor Kwon’s prescriptions. He did everything he could to treat the disease well, and since Mr. Kang was fighting the disease well, he believed and followed Professor Kwon’s prescription that no other measures were needed. Mr. Kang said he would like to advise this to other cancer patients as well.
“You may be approached by many people who take advantage of the patient’s desperation and try to sell them a specific product claiming to have a high treatment effect. It’s easy to be deceived, but don’t be. “It is right to trust and follow the medical staff.”
| ＜Kang Kyung-ah’s glioblastoma struggle diary＞ Headache occurred on February 15, 2018. No analgesic effect |
2024-09-28 10:21:30