What is oligodendroglioma? Busy Philipps brain…
Busy Philipps is “grateful to be alive” after a stunning health scare.
The 47-year-old actress revealed this week that docs found a uncommon, slow-growing malignant tumor in her brain earlier this yr, despite her having no apparent symptoms.
Philipps opened up about the ordeal in a People cowl story revealed Wednesday, saying she underwent two surgical procedures as a outcome of her grade 2 oligodendroglioma.
Busy Philipps was recognized with a uncommon, slow-growing malignant brain tumor earlier this yr. (Variety) Variety via Getty Images
The “Dawson’s Creek” alum called the past six months the “weirdest” of her life, dubbing herself “the luckiest girl in the world” after following through with a full-body MRI scan her major doctor had initially talked her out of.
She finally determined to schedule the scan after talking with her cousin-in-law, Dr. Justin Donlan, an internist who told her that “knowledge is power.”
Doctors noticed the tumor during a Prenuvo scan on Feb. 12, just at some point after her former co-star James Van Der Beek died of colorectal cancer at age 48. The star had really been contemplating canceling her appointment when her husband steered the health examine is likely to be “the best thing” she might do for her late buddy.
So, what precisely is an oligodendroglioma — and what refined symptoms can signal the disease? Here’s what to know.
What are oligodendrogliomas?
An oligodendroglioma is a uncommon kind of brain tumor that can also develop in the spinal wire. It begins in oligodendrocytes, cells that help assist and shield the nerve cells accountable for sending messages throughout the brain and nervous system, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Philipps was recognized with a grade 2 oligodendroglioma, which is thought of a “low-grade” tumor by the World Health Organization. That means it sometimes grows slowly and is usually simpler to deal with than more aggressive brain tumors.
“It is considered malignant, but it has the best prognosis of all of the malignant gliomas,” Dr. Alexandra Miller, Philipps’ neuro-oncologist at NYU Langone, told People.
“It’s sort of defined as a cancerous tumor based on the ability of the tumor to regrow over time, rather than it looking very malignant under the microscope.”
Higher-grade oligodendrogliomas are more aggressive. As they change into more superior, the tumors can grow sooner, injury surrounding brain tissue and change into more troublesome to deal with.
An oligodendroglioma, a uncommon malignant brain tumor that Philipps was recognized with despite having no symptoms. (Stanford Medicine) Stanford Medicine
How common is oligodendrogliomas?
Oligodendrogliomas are comparatively uncommon, accounting for an estimated 1.3% of all brain tumors in the US. About 1,100 Americans are recognized with the tumor each yr, according to the American Brain Tumor Association.
They are most often recognized in adults between the ages of 20 and 40. The tumors are thought of extraordinarily uncommon in youngsters under 15.
What are the symptoms of oligodendrogliomas?
Oligodendrogliomas may cause different symptoms relying on where the tumor is situated and how big it grows. The most common warning signal is a seizure, which impacts practically 80% of sufferers, according to Columbia University.
When a tumor develops in the frontal lobe, it may well set off persona or conduct adjustments, as properly as weak point or partial paralysis on one facet of the physique, identified as hemiparesis.
Other symptoms can embody complications, partial imaginative and prescient loss and hassle with speech or language. Tumors in the temporal lobe, however, will be particularly sneaky, sometimes inflicting few noticeable symptoms and going undetected for years.
Philipps said docs caught her tumor before she developed any apparent symptoms. Still, in the years before her diagnosis, she had told her former “Dawson’s Creek” co-star and close buddy Michelle Williams that she felt like her brain was “broken.”
“I’ve been saying this for the last few years,” Philipps told People. “I wasn’t consciously aware that anything was really wrong, but there was something that was misfiring. Like, I could not get a handle on it.”
Philipps underwent surgical procedure to take away the tumor in March. busyphilipps/Instagram
How are oligodendrogliomas handled?
Oligodendrogliomas are thought of one of the more treatable sorts of brain cancer.
Surgery is normally the first line of assault, with docs aiming to take away as a lot of the tumor as doable without damaging healthy brain tissue. Depending on the outcomes, sufferers could also need radiation or chemotherapy.
For Philipps, that meant a roughly five-hour surgical procedure on March 2 to take away the two.6-centimeter mass from her brain. Doctors recognized it as an oligodendroglioma after biopsying the tumor.
Her docs told her that ready until she developed seizures might have allowed the tumor to grow to two or 3 times its dimension — probably making it more troublesome to take away fully.
Philipps initially made it through the operation without incident, but later developed a staphylococcus infection in her incision. She needed a second surgical procedure to clean out the contaminated space and take away one of the tiny titanium tacks docs had used to maintain her cranium bone in place.
Are oligodendrogliomas lethal?
Many sufferers have a good likelihood of dwelling for years after diagnosis.
The outlook is sometimes better when the tumor is caught early. Between 69% and 90% of people with low-grade oligodendrogliomas are still alive 5 years after diagnosis, according to the Cleveland Clinic, with survival charges probably even increased among youthful adults.
For people with high-grade oligodendrogliomas, the five-year survival charge ranges from 45% to 76%.
Philipps told People she feels grateful for going through with the Prenuvo scan that caught her tumor, saying she hopes she will be able to inspire other people to hear to their intestine.
“We are frequently told by doctors that there is nothing to worry about [when] you kind of know that there’s something to worry about,” she said. “There’s nothing to be afraid of in having information. It’s only empowering.”
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