A 10-year-old girl from Howell, N.J., may owe her life to an experimental laser procedure that “burned” a tumor from deep within the child’s brain.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/10/howell_girl_is_first_child_in.html
The Star-Ledger of Newark wrote a story, headlined “Tackling the ‘Inoperable,'” Friday about Madison Beggs, who is undergoing post-surgical daily radiation treatment and chemotherapy at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson’s brain tumor center.
During the summer Madison was diagnosed with a brain tumor that was so deep in her cranium that regular surgery couldn’t be used to remove it. Instead, she underwent a laser procedure that could safety attack the tumor in the center of her brain stem.
A small hole was made in Madison’s skull, and a fiber-optic wire was moved through her brain, safely bypassing blood vessels, to get to the tumor.
A month after the procedure, the tumor is still gone with no signs of any regrowth yet.
Less than 100 adults in the United States have been treated with the laser ablation surgery, and Madison is the first child to have it, according to The Ledger.
Six hospitals are using the experimental laser treatment on brain tumors.
Let’s see if this technology, already approved by the Food and Drug Adminstration, does indeed turn inoperable, fatal brain tumors into operable ones.
Our 14 year old daughter was diagnosed with an ‘anaplastic astrocytoma’ March 2009.
Now has months left to live, and is recently metastatic. Please help!
So sorry about your daughter. Why don’t you contact Robert Wood Johnson Hospital about your daughter via this form.
https://www.rwjuh.edu/request.aspx?scp=neuro-lsr-brn-tumor2
Madison is our grand daughter and has just completed her first stage of radiation & chemo so far the tumor has not grown back She will under go moor chemo on Jan 2ed with a stay in the hospital 4 days and then 21 days will do it again for 6 times . She has been able to keep up with her school and is doing good at this time Thanks to all the prayers
We are so glad to hear that good news.
12/3/10
Our grand daughter Madison has just had her #16 MRI the 3ed one since the laser surgery this last Wed 12/1/10 and the report is all is still looking good no growth. She will now have her next MRI in 2 months. She has lost almost all the weight she gained while on steroids but still does not have a appetite to eat. She will still start her second round of chemo on Jan 2ed 2011. Thanks for all the prayers
That is great to hear!
12/5/2010
Here is a website to see up dates on Madison Beggs and how she is doing after laser surgery (http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/madisonbeggs/journal
There are new up dates on Madison Beggs web site As the last MRI may have showed signs of the tumor again (http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/madisonbeggs/journal
the posted date is wrong above it should be 5/14/11 thanks
Madi passed away on June 4th 2012 she fought hard but could not get rid of the tumor after 22 months of fighting . We miss her so much Her Gram-pa