New treatments offer hope for older patients with a deadly cancer diagnosis
CBSN
Nadya El-Afandi was nearing the end of breast cancer treatment when she received earth-shattering news: Doctors had diagnosed her with glioblastoma, a rapidly growing and aggressive brain tumor.
Typically, people diagnosed with glioblastoma die within 12 to 18 months, even with aggressive treatment options. Patients over the age of 60 usually die within six to nine months. El-Afandi was 59 when she was diagnosed in June 2023, putting her right on the edge of that poorer prognosis.
"I was still taking chemo, but my breast cancer doctor said 'You don't have to keep taking that anymore, and you don't have to come in for any more breast exams,'" El-Afandi said. "He didn't say it, but what I figured he was saying was 'The glioblastoma will kill you before breast cancer.'"
