George’s brain tumor story: Making every day better than the last

Lebanon News
2023-02-14 | 10:32
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George’s brain tumor story: Making every day better than the last
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7min
George’s brain tumor story: Making every day better than the last

Brain tumors are one of the most frightening medical problems. They comprise only 2% of all cancer types but they are the 10th leading cause of death in the world.

Neurosurgery & treatment of brain tumors is one of the major medical specializations of Acıbadem, a healthcare group in Turkey that has been providing services in all disciplines of medicine for more than 30 years.
 
In Acibadem Hospitals in Turkiye, we offer the latest advances in brain tumor surgery, such as neuroendoscopy, ultrasonic aspiration, intraoperative MRI, neuromonitorization,
 
neuronavigation, along with a high level of surgical expertise. In addition, our brain tumor board offers a multispecialty approach to their treatment. A tumor board consist of a diverse
group of physicians who are experts in different fields, all of whom focus on the treatment of a specific type of brain tumor. As a result, our neurosurgeons’ extensive experience and
highly refined skills make a huge difference in the treatment success rates.
 
Therefore, the most complex cases are kept being referred by physicians to our neurosurgery clinic.
 
You can get free second medical opinion from our experts, contact us now:
 
A shocking diagnosis
 
George, a 54-year-old former accountant, was living the best years of his whole life. He retired two years ago from one of the biggest companies in the UK. He had been providing
financial consultancy services to some leading firms. In August of 2019, George and his wife visited Istanbul, which is one of the most inspiring and charming cities in the world, as he
loves traveling with his wife.
 
In the morning of August 19, he suddenly lost his ability to talk clearly. An ambulance rushed him to a nearby Acıbadem Hospital branch where an MRI revealed a brain tumor. George explains his condition as follows:
 
“For the last four months, I had suffered from what I thought was a stress-related headache. A week before the incident, the pain became so severe that I had to take painkillers every
morning just to get through the day. The pain persisted for a week, but I thought it was simply the travel or stress of my new consultancy work, and the morning of August 19, it was a
shock for me and my wife. I had an undefinable headache, and a feeling of nausea. To make matters even worse, when I tried to speak, I could barely say anything. The next thing I
remember is waking up at Acıbadem Hospital.”
 
Kenan Koç, Professor of Neurosurgery, saw the patient in the emergency service and ordered a brain MRI immediately. The professor states that we found a tumor slightly smaller
than the size of a ping pong ball in his brain. Unfortunately, it didn't seem benign. It was a life-threatening tumor. The mass was located in the Broca area of the brain that provides
speech motor. Due to the pressure of a tumor in this area or a nearby tumor, a person can lose the ability to speak fluently. In the case of a damaged Broca, a patient can think of
meaningful ideas, however, he/she is incapable of expressing those thoughts. In such situations, the patient’s speech is unintelligible. George’s case was discussed by the
Acıbadem Tumor Board. Our treatment plan was to remove as much of the tumor as possible. After the surgery, the treatment would continue with radiotherapy.
 
The decision
 
George had different treatment options: He could return to his city London and try to find anew neurosurgeon. This could pose health risks because he had to fly for at least 4 hours.Another option was to stay in Istanbul and receive treatment at Acıbadem. George says, “I spoke with my wife. Then, I called my family doctor and asked him about Acıbadem Hospital.
When I was in the hospital, I was very impressed about the hospital in terms of doctors’ expertise, nurses, its modern design, etc. What’s more, there were many patients from different nationalities. I realized that this place was the pioneer health center of Turkey.
 
Nevertheless, it was a brain tumour surgery and I needed to know more in order to stay here.
 
My family doctor called me back. He said that Acıbadem is one of the most reputableneurosurgery centres in Europe, and the head of the neurosurgery department is a prominent professor in this field. This was enough for me to make up my mind to stay and be operated here. Lastly, I called my insurance company, and it was not a problem in terms of insurance coverage.”
 
The surgery
 
“George’s surgery included a procedure what is known as a subtotal resection of the tumor. We performed maximal safe tumor resection which ensures increased longevity, life quality
of the patient. Also the surgery was performed without causing lasting neurological damage.” says Professor Koç.
 
Subtotal resection is the removal as much of the tumor as possible rather than the whole tumor in the surgery. George's tumor was adjacent to the tissue which provides speech
motor in the brain. Removing it entirely could cause permanent loss of speech. Because of this, rather than total resection, the Acıbadem Brain Tumor Board decided to remove as
much of the tumor as possible. After the surgery, George underwent six weeks of radiotherapy at Acıbadem.
 
After the treatment
 
Before the treatment, George’s health was in a terrible condition; a life-threatening tumor and severe symptoms related to that, such as excruciating headaches and speech problems. The
treatment got rid of these symptoms and the tumor. George says, “I am happy that everything worked out just fine. I can’t thank Acıbadem Hospital and its doctors enough.
Thank God, I was in the right place at the right time to receive good medical care. Nowadays, I try to make every day better than the last.”
 
Almost 3 years after the surgery George had no recurrence of the tumor. He is fully recovered, spending time with his wife, working just couple of hours in a week and watching his favorite football team’s matches with his friends.
 
You can get free second medical opinion from our experts, contact us now:
 
 
 
 
 

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