Which of the celebrities faced a terrible disease
Which of the celebrities faced a terrible disease
Today, Zhanna FRISKE's family confirmed the terrible news, which has haunted all the singer's fans for several days. On the official website of the star, her civil husband Dmitry SHEPELEV made a statement: Jeanne has cancer (). Surrounded by the singer, they say that she has an inoperable brain tumor. As medical statistics show, brain tumors are relatively rare - about 1.5% of all types of tumors. However, among celebrities there are many who are faced with a terrible diagnosis.
Although a brain tumor is far from always malignant (that is, growing and usually fatal), nevertheless, even a benign one is a rather serious pathology, in most cases leading to disturbances in the normal functioning of the brain. There are not many ways to get rid of a brain tumor. The main one is surgery. But it can only be used if the tumor is operable and if its removal does not affect the main parts of the brain. Radiation therapy is used to stop its growth. And with the help of chemotherapy, you can remove tumor cells left after surgery or radiation therapy.
Valery Zolotukhin
At the famous actor and artistic director of the Taganka Theater Valeria Zolotukhina Doctors in 2012 discovered it was glioblastoma. On March 5, 2013, the actor was hospitalized in the intensive care unit of the Russian Research Center for Radiology. On March 14, it became known that doctors put him into an artificial (medicated) coma. On the morning of March 30, 2013, the artist died from complications caused by a tumor.
According to doctors, the artist, who was put into a medically induced coma, had practically no chance of recovery. Cancer was discovered at a late stage, and at that age, doctors did not dare to operate. There was nothing left for relatives but to pray for his health.Valery didn’t know he had cancer, the actor’s first wife told EG after Zolotukhin’s death Nina Shatskaya. We couldn't tell him about it.
Valentina Tolkunova
March 2010 Valentin Tolkunov was urgently hospitalized in the therapeutic department of the Botkin hospital after she became ill at a concert in Mogilev. The artist had cancer of the fourth degree, tumors in the chest and brain with metastases to the liver and lungs. In recent weeks, doctors have had hope - the singer said that she feels much better and even refused chemotherapy. The doctors did everything possible to alleviate the suffering of their star patient, however, feeling worse, Valentina Tolkunova asked to bring a priest to her for unction.
Prior to this, Valentina Vasilievna was last hospitalized in August 2009 - she underwent a severe operation to remove a brain tumor. The singer spent almost a week in the military hospital named after Burdenko, and then she was transferred to the Blokhin Cancer Center. In 2006, doctors diagnosed Tolkunova with a terrible diagnosis - "breast cancer" - and performed an operation on the artist. All this time, Valentina Vasilievna courageously fought the disease and even managed to return to the stage.Wife of Konstantin Khabensky Anastasia
In December 2008, after a long illness in an American clinic, the wife of a famous actor died. Konstantin Khabensky 35-year-old Anastasia. Anastasia was diagnosed with a brain tumor during her pregnancy. But the woman refused to undergo treatment, fearing to harm the baby. The first operation was performed immediately after childbirth at the Burdenko Research Institute. After that, the patient was prescribed chemotherapy. But the tumor continued to grow, and the neurosurgeons insisted on a second operation. But this did not stop the disease.
Konstantin Khabensky turned to the specialists of the best private clinic in Los Angeles, Sinai Cedars, for help. For several months of treatment, doctors used different methods. Radiation therapy was also used, and even the so-called backup method “Cell Killer”. The treatment was very expensive: one day of stay in the clinic cost Khabensky $ 1,500 dollars. The total amount of services provided by American doctors has exceeded one and a half million dollars.
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In early November, it became known that the patient had a sharp deterioration. She was again placed in the Cedars of Sinai. There, in the arms of her mother, the unfortunate woman died. Nastya has a son, Vanya.
Nikolai Valuev
Former heavyweight boxer, world champion title holder, and now a deputy of the State Duma Nikolai Valuev at one time he went through a difficult operation, because of which he had to end his career as a professional athlete. Valuev was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
- After the fight with by David Hay I wanted to have at least one more fight. Next in line was Vladimir Klichko, but he chose his rivals for so long that I decided in the meantime to go through the doctors. It turned out not in vain. During the next examination, the doctors found in my head a benign tumor the size of an acorn. On this note, I decided to end my performances in the ring. The operation lasted five hours, but the craniotomy, as you can see, was successful, - Nikolai Valuev said in an interview with the Sport Express newspaper.Ivan Shapovalov
10 years ago, the recording of the second album “t.A.T.u.” was to take place in the studio of the Beijing Hotel with the mystical name “Celestial Empire”. But due to controversy Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova with the producer Ivan Shapovalov the group fell apart, and the second album was not released ... And in 2012, fundraising began for an operation on a producer who fell ill with brain cancer. In the face of a fatal illness, Ivan did not give up.
- Ivan, what helps you fight a terrible disease? we asked Shapovalov.
This is my chance to start from scratch, - he shared, - I rarely visit Moscow, only if I need to record songs. He moved to the Tver region, to Konakovo, where he became interested in horse riding, stood at the origins of the equestrian club. I learned to ride on a par with children and now I feel confident on a horse. Horses are not just a hobby, like music, it is life. They helped me become kinder, less scandalous. I used to be able to yell at someone and refuse a contract for several million. Animals distract from the hustle and bustle and even illness.
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He lost a lot of weight. It just looked like nothing. Moreover, he did not want to be treated.
The doctors said I had to go to Germany or Israel - they could help me there. Vanya refused. Now he is doing well.
- Is there any hope that Ivan will cope with the disease?
The doctors say there is no metastasis yet. We all pray... Lena Kiper told me that Vanya is feeling better, after the "chemo" the tumor disappears before our very eyes. Doctors reassured us - there is a chance. Give something God.
Sheryl Crow
Brain tumor in an American singer Sheryl Crow, a nine-time Grammy Award winner, was discovered in November 2011. Since then, the artist has been living with a terrible diagnosis. The 51-year-old singer told her fans about her serious illness during one of the concerts, and then gave several detailed interviews on this topic to the largest American media. According to Crowe, she began to suffer partial memory loss.
I began to have serious memory problems and went to the doctor to do my best before the disease began to progress. I didn't think it was that serious until I heard the diagnosis. They told me that I have a brain tumor, - the singer said, adding that she once forgot the words to her song Soak Up the Sun right during the concert.
The singer said that the tumor is benign, and while she does not even think about the operation. The star is going to undergo regular examinations to monitor the development of the disease. Representatives of the performer said that Crowe suffers from meningioma - a tumor growing from the cells of the tissue surrounding the brain. According to them, "there is nothing wrong with that." A few years ago, Sheryl Crow managed to successfully cope with breast cancer.
Julie Chen
American TV star Julie Chen learning to see again after doctors remove her brain tumor. The host of the popular KTTV channel from Los Angeles was considered one of the most glamorous stars of the television company, but now this woman is not at all up to glamour. In September 2013, doctors discovered she had a brain tumor using a CT scan. The terrible discovery was made by accident, as Julie came to the hospital after falling while surfing. Chen hit her face hard on the board. She then lost sight in one eye. Doctors performed detailed scans and found that the cause of the problems was not so much a stroke as a growing brain tumor. Fortunately, she was operable.
Day 5 after brain surgery,” Chen tweeted on November 25th. - Still very weak in body, but strong in spirit. I'm overwhelmed by all the support you give me.
One of the main problems on the way to recovery was deteriorating vision, - said the host of Good Day LA Maria Sanson, Julie's colleague. - But every day it improves. Of course, it cannot be said that Julie sees as well as she did before the operation. But trust me, I don't lead her by the hand. She herself is already perfectly oriented in space. And she can't wait to get back to work.
On June 15, 2015, Zhanna Friske, the ex-soloist of the Brilliant group, a popular singer and actress, passed away. The cause of Friske's death was a malignant brain tumor - with an incurable disease, brain cancer, the singer fought for two years. The opinions of doctors about what exactly caused Jeanne's illness were divided.
Course of the disease
The fact that Zhanna Friske was ill with inoperable brain cancer became known shortly after the singer gave birth to her son Plato - in early June 2013. The sounded diagnosis put an end to all hopes: glioblastoma, an inoperable brain tumor. The first symptom was headaches, but the disease progressed rapidly. Soon Jeanne stopped appearing in public. In January 2014, the family and relatives confirmed in a statement on the singer's official website that Zhanna was seriously ill. The diagnosis of the singer was confirmed by the chief oncologist of the Russian Federation, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Mikhail Davydov. The singer, according to doctors' forecasts, had no more than a month to live.
Around the same time, Friske left for treatment in the United States - she underwent the necessary procedures at the New York Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center clinic. This was followed by rehabilitation in Latvia, another course of treatment in China, another course in an American hospital (this time in Los Angeles) and, finally, treatment in Moscow, at the N. N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center. Although the latest drugs gave Friska almost 2 years of life, in the last months of her life, doctors could not help the singer in any way. The last three months before her death, Friske was in a coma without regaining consciousness.
What caused Zhanna Friske's cancer
Doctors started arguing about what caused Friske's cancer in early 2014, when the singer's family confirmed her diagnosis - and they continue to argue to this day. One of the most popular versions for a long time remained the version associated with the rejuvenation procedures that Jeanne allegedly underwent. The procedures included the injection of stem cells into the spinal canal - and as a result of rejection by the body of "foreign" tissues, the development of a tumor could well begin.
However, some representatives of medicine called even more ridiculous versions - for example, that brain cancer was provoked by too long exposure to the sun, in fact - solar radiation.
Could IVF cause illness?
After the funeral of Zhanna Friske, the discussion of the causes of cancer flared up with renewed vigor. A number of experts in the field of medicine put forward a new version - according to doctors, the IVF (in vitro fertilization) procedure could be the cause of brain cancer in Friske.
Having celebrated her 30th birthday, the singer began to dream of a child, but she could not get pregnant for several years in a row. Zhanna went through the IVF procedure several times after meeting with Dmitry Shepelev, her husband, and doctors say that it was she who could cause a malignant brain tumor.
Although IVF has been used in medical practice since 1978, the health risks of this procedure have not yet been fully studied. The procedure itself consists in the "external" fertilization of the eggs, after which the resulting embryos are grown in a special incubator and only then transferred to the mother's uterus. IVF is a complex treatment method that involves the constant use of hormonal drugs to stimulate ovulation and subsequent pregnancy management.
It is precisely because IVF treatment is associated with the constant use of hormonal drugs that it disrupts the natural hormonal background of a woman and can provoke many health problems. In the rarest cases, indeed, these diseases can threaten not only health, but also human life - as, apparently, happened to Zhanna Friske.
Fans of the wonderful singer and actress Zhanna Friske were shocked by the terrible news in January 2014. The doctors discovered she had brain cancer. In June 2015, the artist died -.
It all started with the usual headache, which began to overcome the show business star from mid-2013, shortly after she gave birth to her son Plato.
Jeanne did not pay attention to this "trifle" for a long time. I thought it might be some kind of postpartum syndrome. The pain was relieved with pills. But my head began to hurt more and more. And her mother began to notice that something was wrong: her daughter increasingly tightly curtained the windows and slept for days on end. Such a long and sound sleep could no longer be explained by fatigue alone. Then Zhanna's legs began to literally give way. And once she lost consciousness right in broad daylight when she went shopping.
Jeanne was taken to the hospital. They took tests and diagnosed: . Moreover, it is inoperable. The doctors admitted that they did not want to tell the truth to their relatives, because, according to their forecasts, Jeanne was supposed to die in the first month.
The singer herself, having heard a terrible diagnosis, took it with her inherent fortitude. Friske tried to the last not to upset her parents with the unpleasant news of her illness.
Zhanna is generally a strong person, ”said her father Vladimir Borisovich. That's why she didn't tell anyone. Didn't want to upset. She is very strong and will never say that she is sick. She is such a person.
And soon the following appeared on the artist’s website: “What for many months remained exclusively a matter of our family, unfortunately, became public property a few days ago. At the same time, we want to stop any speculation and believe that fans and people who are not indifferent to Jeanne have the right to know the truth "Our family has had a severe test. Zhanna is sick with cancer. We continue to fight for her and never stop believing. We appeal to everyone with the only request to support us with a kind word and prayer."
On the same day, all people who are not indifferent to the fate of the actress gathered in the program of the First Channel "Let them talk." Jeanne's friend, singer Olga Orlova assured viewers:
Zhanna is a fighter, very strong. All forces are now aimed at ensuring that Zhanna defeats the disease. It is difficult to say where Zhanna got this disease from ... This is some kind of plague of our time. It is necessary to check the health, of course, in order to notice this disease in time.
Supported by a colleague and another friend of Jeanne, stylist and TV presenter Vlad Lisovets, who has known her for more than 17 years:
It is difficult to say where this disease came from. Jeanne has always been very careful about her health - she did yoga, followed detox diets on vacation. I don’t know, maybe the Lord sends such trials to his beloved children. And I am sure that Zhanna will cope with this test, because she is very strong.
The family of Zhanna Friske officially announced the illness of the singer.
DOUBTS AND FEARS OF DOCTORS
Doctors tried to understand the causes of the serious illness of the star.
Zhanna Friske was diagnosed with glioblastoma, explained Candidate of Medical Sciences, neurosurgeon Igor Borshchenko. - This is the most common primary brain tumor. Signs depend on which areas are affected. If the formation arose closer to the cerebral cortex and affects the centers responsible for speech or movement, then the symptoms appear almost immediately. It can be fainting, sudden speech or motor coordination disorders. In such situations, people, as a rule, quickly seek help from doctors, and the disease can be detected at an early stage - MRI of the brain shows its presence. And then it is possible to prescribe treatment in time. But if the tumor is located in the deep structures of the brain, it can grow without acute symptoms. Olfactory hallucinations can often be a sign of a tumor, for example, it seems to a person that it smells like garbage everywhere, familiar foods change taste and smell.
Chronic headaches, which are almost not relieved by analgesics, nausea and vomiting in the morning, should always alert.
It is impossible to say what exactly could provoke the development of brain cancer. It is discussed on the Internet that this could be due to Jeanne's pregnancy, taking some hormonal drugs. I can say that there are no reliable data on the relationship of glioblastoma with hormones, it is not a hormone-dependent tumor. According to statistics, both men and women are equally affected by this type of cancer.
Another thing can be said - primary glioblastoma practically does not give metastases. This may give hope. And amenable to surgical and radiation treatment. There are cases when such a tumor recovered completely. The main thing is not to let the disease take its course, not to despair and obey the doctors, and not the "well-wishers".
Another opinion was expressed by the oncologist of branch No. 1 of the City Polyclinic No. 68 of the Department of Health of the City of Moscow, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Head of the Oncology Department Ekaterina Prikhodko:
Grade 4 glioblastoma is one of the most dangerous fast-growing tumors in the body, with active invasion into the surrounding brain tissues. According to the US Central Brain Tumor Registry, the 1-2-year survival rate in patients older than 60 years is 13 to 2 percent. It is more common at the age of 50–70 years and more often in men. To date, the cause of this disease has not been established. There are no convincing data on the harmful effects of magnetic fields - phones, smartphones, household appliances. A possible cause may be a genetic predisposition.
Modern diagnostic methods allow the detection of the disease in the presence of appropriate symptoms, even at its initial stages. With the help of computed tomography of the brain, MRI of the brain with contrast, SPEKT and PET examination. But, unfortunately, the absence of early symptoms of tumor development does not allow timely diagnosis of glioblastoma.
And the effectiveness of treatment depends on various factors: the location of the tumor in the brain; high resistance to conventional therapy; anatomical and physiological features of the brain (reduced regeneration of brain tissue); penetration of the tumor into the surrounding tissues; decrease in the blood circulation of the tumor, which prevents the delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs to the tumor focus; a large number of side effects from the therapy.
At different stages of glioblastoma, all stages of treatment used in oncology are carried out: neurosurgical - removal of the tumor by surgery; combined - radiation therapy with the use of chemotherapeutic drugs; maintenance chemotherapy.
Since this is one of the most dangerous and unpredictable tumors in oncology, doctors set the average life expectancy of such patients to be about a year. However, each clinical case has its own individual treatment program, the result of which depends on the state of the patient's body, the response of the tumor to treatment, and the experience of the doctor. Every patient reacts differently to the same treatment.
But why a tumor could arise is a mystery. But it is known for sure that pregnancy cannot be considered as a risk factor for the occurrence of glioblastoma.
Treatment of a patient diagnosed with glioblastoma in Russia is free of charge according to state programs. Neurosurgical School of Russia represented by the Research Institute of Neurosurgery named after N.N. N.N. Burdenko is one of the most recognized and respected in the whole world. All patients in Russia undergo a phased, adequate treatment that meets all international standards. The work of Russian doctors is no different from the work of American doctors. The fact is that at present oncology has gone beyond the borders of any countries, states, continents. Today it is the world community of doctors, which thinks the same way, has the same approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of such patients. In the professional case, there is no difference - America or Russia. This is the patient's choice.
Another doctor shared his concern - obstetrician-gynecologist Semyon Zinker, who took birth with a star patient:
The last time Zhanna came to me for a routine postpartum check-up was about six months ago (the book was published in 2014 - ed. note). At that time, I did not see anything in her appearance that could tell about the disease. She was happy. The boy was born large, everything was fine. To me, the doctor who delivered her childbirth, the artist did not say anything about the existing tumor. Of course, it cannot be denied that the disease developed in a short time.
“I WERE SUPPORTED WITH WORDS, PRAYERS, MONEY”
Since January 2014, Friske has been treated at the New York Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. And already there, Zhanna's terrible attacks became more frequent. According to relatives, the unfortunate woman seemed to be twisted, broken out, her body bent from pain so that her spine could break. And after the attack came hours of unconsciousness. In March, it became known that the singer had practically lost her sight from a brain tumor. “They told us that the glasses won’t help now, because the tumor is pressing on the brain,” the singer’s father told reporters. “Once the tumor is reduced after drug treatment, vision will be restored.”
And the son of the singer Plato, for some time after his mother left for America, lived in Moscow with his grandmother and Zhanna's sister Natasha.
We tried to always show Plato Zhannochka: all the photographs are on TV, Natasha recalled. - So he did not feel that his mother was not around. Zhannochka called herself. We talked to her almost every day.
Channel One raised funds for the treatment of the singer. There were so many sympathizers for Jeanne that in a short time, literally in two weeks, about 70 million rubles were collected. Therefore, all the clinic's bills were paid, funds were reserved for the continuation of treatment, and the rest of the collected funds went to the treatment of children with cancer who were on the waiting list. The singer was supported by all her colleagues, and even the famous Sharon Osbourne, the wife of Ozzy Osbourne, who also suffered the horrors of cancer, but recovered (also about her in this book. - Ed.). At the end of January, the singer's producer Andrey Shlykov said that doctors give positive forecasts for recovery.
And soon Zhanna Friske herself turned to her fans with words of gratitude on the Rusfond website: “Thank you! It was impossible to imagine that at such a difficult moment for me and my family, hundreds of thousands of people would respond and support me with words, prayers and money. I thank you all for your attention and care. It gives strength. Thank you for your humanity. For the fact that there are so many sympathetic, merciful, caring people in Russia. Health. Tranquility. Hope. God bless you".
In April, Plato, along with his dad Dmitry Shepelev, was already with his mother. “The grandson missed Zhanna very much, in Moscow he looked at her photographs and stroked them,” said Zhanna’s father Vladimir Borisovich. - Plato is growing by leaps and bounds. Such a strong man has become! He already has four teeth, he bites.”
And in May, when Zhanna began to feel better, Dmitry Shepelev told how his family survived this difficult year in the fight against cancer. “Definitely Zhannochka feels better than six months ago. And for us it is, of course, a great joy. We live one day and do not think about what we will do in two years, where we will go on vacation next summer. We realized that it is important to enjoy what is here and now. Because tomorrow may not be. And this applies to any person. The fact that Zhanna is better means that for the first time this year our family can be together. You don’t need to fly somewhere, move and take some drastic actions in order to save a person. This gives us the opportunity, finally, to devote all our free time to each other. I can hug both Jeanne and my son at the same time. It's the most important".
Jeanne and Plato literally learned to walk together, - recalled sister Natasha. - And in the end she got to her feet, began to walk much more, her voice became much better. And then we used to call her, she had a barely audible, sleepy voice. And then she began to ask me so cheerfully: sis, hello, what do you want to bring? I say - bring yourself healthy, I don’t need to bring anything.
The results of the analyzes have already testified to improvements in the state of the celebrity. In the early summer of 2014, after a long course of chemotherapy, the doctors decided to complete the singer's treatment. And Jeanne went with her family for rehabilitation in the Baltic States. At the time of writing (September 9, 2014), Zhanna was recovering her health at the Riga seaside in Jurmala (Latvia), where she celebrated her 40th birthday.
As the attending physicians testify, the artist could cope with household chores and raising her one and a half year old son. Every day, the singer performed rehabilitation exercises and followed a strict diet.
However, as Zhanna's friend Olga Orlova said, despite significant improvements in her state of health, Zhanna was forced to sit within four walls almost without getting out. The fact is that the Russian pop star did not want to get into the frame of another curious paparazzi at all, and even more so was not ready to give any comments or interviews. And journalists were on duty at her house for days, wanting to get a picture of the recovered star.
Dmitry Shepelev, after what he experienced over the past year, thought about writing a book. After all, he really has something to tell and what to advise people who are faced with a similar situation: “On how not to lose faith in yourself and in those who are close to you. And about what you need to love every day - it doesn’t matter if it’s black or already light.
INSTEAD OF ADVICE TO THOSE WHO ARE NOW FIGHTING THE DISEASE
Back in January 2014, when Zhanna's future was unknown, Anna Semenovich dedicated touching words to her friend that can help other people trying to cope with an insidious illness:
Remember once and for all: That life is One! She's yours! You don't have to listen to anyone... They don't know anything: your emotions and suffering, your grievances, love, goodbyes. They don’t know what’s in their souls, in their hearts, they don’t know how to warm you up. Who is needed, dear, who is loved. Who you need to madness. They don't know your words, they don't see the pain. And never be in your role! And you alone have the right to decide, to take, to see, to speak, to call, to scream, to suffer and wait, and to hate and miss, and to hold tightly by the hand. Look into the eyes and hug, laugh, cry and dream! And do not be afraid and love, Only then you will understand what it means to live!
OPINION
Zhanna Friske is gone...
Column by columnist Boris Voitsekhovsky
That's all. End of conversation. Now all these arguments seem incredibly stupid and pathetic. Do you remember? You probably remember how it was heard from everywhere: they say, lies, deceit, swindle. And so Zhanna Friske died. Houses. In Moscow. At the age of 41. Honestly.
An amazing thing: about two years ago, an ordinary pop singer suddenly became an indicator of the humanity of the whole country. All you had to do was get seriously ill. News feeds are full of: cancer. The gossip columns groaned: but you just gave birth, what is it! Channel One immediately launched a campaign to raise funds for treatment and collected a fantastic amount in a matter of days. This is where it started. Where did all these questions come from? Is it really sick? Why should she collect money - and so, I suppose, rich? Or maybe it's not for her at all?
And it was disgusting, if we call everything by its proper name. And ugly. And it’s terribly sorry for Zhanna’s husband, TV presenter Dmitry Shepelev, who confirms, thanks, as if justifying himself in his blog ... ()
The editors of the newspaper "Vechernyaya Moskva" expresses condolences to the family and friends of Zhanna Friske.
That singer Zhanna Friske died after a long battle with cancer - glioblastoma. Lenta.ru understands what kind of illness it is, what are its symptoms, how it is treated, and whether doctors had a chance to prevent a tragic outcome.
Glioblastoma is the most aggressive and most common of the malignant brain tumors (52 percent of all cases). If it is not treated in any way, the patient will live for about three months from the moment the first symptoms appear. But even with treatment, the life expectancy is not much longer: for half of the patients it is one year, and only five percent manage to live longer than three years.
The reasons
The causes of glioblastoma are largely unclear. It is known that the tumor affects cells of neuroglia - a subtype of nervous tissue, the elements of which nourish and protect neurons. There are ten times more neuroglial cells than neurons. These cells do not proliferate in adulthood, but glial cell precursors are present in the brain. With violations in their development and reproduction, glioblastoma may occur.
It is impossible to predict who will develop the disease and when. This tumor affects men somewhat more often than women, especially when it comes to men over 50 years old. The disease is not inherited. Its risk is not increased if a person smokes, eats canned meat, or is exposed to electromagnetic radiation. True, certain viruses increase the likelihood of the disease, such as cytomegalovirus, human herpes virus type 6 (HHV-6) and SV40 (polyomavirus, first discovered in monkeys). Ionizing radiation (radiation) also contributes.
There are certain mutations (in the p53, CDK4, Rb genes) associated with the disease, but glioblastoma is almost always accompanied by several mutations in a complex. The types of such mutations are also different: they can be deletions (loss of DNA fragments from chromosomes), amplifications (an increased number of DNA copies compared to the norm), and even point mutations (replacements of one or two nucleotides out of thousands of similar ones in a DNA molecule).
It is reported that Zhanna Friske felt unwell some time after the birth of the child. There is no evidence that pregnancy and childbirth can cause the disease. Nevertheless, they are able to accelerate the development of any glial brain tumor (not necessarily glioblastoma), especially the second or third degree of severity.
Image: Christaras A. / Wikipedia
Symptoms
On the one hand, the adult brain does not have special capabilities to restore its functions. On the other hand, there are so many cells in it that the brain is able to survive very significant losses without deteriorating performance.
This plays a cruel joke on all patients with brain tumors, including patients with glioblastoma. As a rule, a tumor is detected on tomographic images already when it is irreparably large and contains hundreds of billions of cells. Only then the patient begins to feel unwell: there is nausea, vomiting, convulsions, headache. Clearly, none of these features are unique. The same symptoms are in head injuries (which, by the way, sometimes cause brain tumors).
“Early diagnosis of glioblastoma, unfortunately, is possible only by chance: for example, as a result of an MRI. With clinical indicators for diagnosis, the disease is already far from being at an early stage,” said Alexei Remez, CEO of the UNIM medical startup.
Treatment
Glioblastoma modern medicine is not able to cure completely. All doctors can do is increase the patient's life expectancy after diagnosis by 10-12 times. In absolute numbers, the increase is insignificant: without treatment, the patient dies after three months, and the one who underwent surgical removal of the tumor lives one or two years, sometimes three.
It is difficult to treat glioblastoma, because drugs that could act on the tumor do not pass well through the blood-brain barrier - the cell layer between the vessels and neurons of the brain, does not allow bacteria, viruses, immune system cells, or drugs to pass through. In addition, the tumor cells themselves are extremely resistant to many chemotherapy drugs.
The main method of treatment is surgical removal of the tumor. The patient's life is extended if at least 98 percent of its volume is cut out. Given the normal size of the tumor, there are still a billion malignant cells left after the operation. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy reduce this number by ten thousand times, but the tumor grows rapidly and returns to its previous size.
Of course, physicians and patients are pinning their hopes on new methods of treatment. For example, in February 2015, Israeli scientists in the scientific journal ACS Nano reported on an experiment on the treatment of glioblastoma in laboratory mice using nanoparticles that deliver small interfering RNAs to the tumor. Such molecules are able to block the production of proteins by malignant cells. One hundred days after the start of the experiment, 60 percent of the individuals from the experimental group remained alive, and in the control group (without treatment at all), no one lasted longer than 40 days.
Of course, the experiment was done on mice, not humans. In addition, the tumor did not disappear from such therapy, which means that it is not necessary to talk about a complete recovery.
Was there a chance?
“Theoretically, Zhanna Friske's tumor could have been detected earlier. In practice, the timing of diagnosis, as well as life expectancy, depends on many factors. The localization of glioblastoma plays an important role: depending on which area of the brain the tumor is located in, it will make itself felt sooner or later. Accordingly, the life span will be different. For example, glioblastoma in the trunk would have been found earlier, but the patient's life expectancy would have been shorter... Unfortunately, the disease is incurable. Two years (so much Zhanna Friske struggled with the disease) - a period above average. Age affects the patient's life expectancy: with its increase, the life expectancy after diagnosis progressively decreases,” said Alexei Kislyakov, a pathologist specializing in tumors of the central nervous system, head of the pathomorphological laboratory of the Morozov Hospital.
And the sex symbol of the 90s struck the Russian show business and Jeanne's fans, who until the last minute believed in a successful outcome. The artist was diagnosed with grade 4 brain cancer shortly after the birth of her son Plato in 2013, and charitable organizations, together with Channel One, raised more than 68 million rubles for treatment in order to send the singer to one of the best cancer centers in the United States. Vladimir, the father of the performer, said in an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda that Zhanna went through all the special clinics in Russia, but not one received a guarantee that she would not die during surgery. Therefore, for a course of chemotherapy, it was necessary to go to a New York clinic.
The initial diagnosis of glioblastoma gave doctors hope. This disease is a primary brain tumor and symptoms appear almost immediately: fainting, speech and coordination disorders. Timely prescribed treatment sometimes makes it possible to completely get rid of cancer, but it is still unknown what causes glioblastoma. There were rumors on the Internet that Friske was provoked by late pregnancy and a change in hormonal levels, but doctors refute this version - the tumor is not hormone-dependent.
Zhanna Friske was treated at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where the real luminaries of science conduct the reception, and the institution itself was founded 130 years ago and since then the forces of doctors have been focused on studying the terrible disease.
The clinic has a research institute, whose developments are applied in practice. The center has become the prototype of Doctor House, where there are constantly more than 10 teams of diversified specialists. More attention is paid to maintaining strict confidentiality and complex therapy, including maintaining the morale of patients with massage, hypnosis and acupuncture. After Zhanna completed the course, Rusfond (the curator of cash receipts from charitable events) received a bill for $ 135 thousand, paid it and, with the consent of the singer, began transferring the remaining 30 million rubles for the treatment of seriously ill children on the waiting list.
The actress felt so much better after chemotherapy and the introduction of a nano-vaccine that she was able to travel to China, where she studied oriental health practices and qigong in the company of her constant companion and former member of the Brilliant group, Olga Orlova, where the TV star began her career. The singer lost weight and began to dress smartly.
Unfortunately, the improvement was short-lived and the disease relapsed again. Returning to Russia, Jeanne turned to the capital's oncology center. The doctors, seeing the condition of the artist (by that time she was almost completely blind and was very exhausted), began to doubt whether it was worth continuing to administer the American vaccine to her. A strong drug could adversely affect the condition of the worn-out brain, but the relatives insisted on continuing the treatment. One of the most beautiful women in Russian cinema spent the last three weeks of her life in a coma and died on the night of June 16th. Until the last conscious minutes, the star kept in touch with Olga Orlova and Dmitry Nagiyev.
During her lifetime, Zhanna transferred 120,000 euros for the girl Natasha Dolmatova from Perm, suffering from a malignant brain tumor (medulloblastoma), so that she could undergo treatment in Germany. From time to time, Friske called the Dolmatovs home to ask how the treatment was going. The girl underwent 11 operations and her condition improved significantly. As her mother told a Life News correspondent, she considered the singer to be an amazingly kind and sympathetic person with great willpower.
“The last time we talked to her was in December by phone. She was cheerful, hoping for the best. - The woman said. “Her son was an incentive for her, she wanted to live for him.” Son Platon was born to Friske in 2013 from TV presenter Dmitry Shepelev, with whom the showwoman did not have time to get married at the registry office. The father will raise the boy with the participation of Jeanne's relatives.