Senator John Mccain has Brain Cancer.

[Herskerstad]

Awful news, I it will prove to be a cure-able case.

[The Novakian Empire]

Christ, how terrible..
Even though I really don't agree on politics with him, I hope he's okay.

[Pope Joan]

Too bad, but he';s had a full tale of years.

he has made his mark, and is widely respected.

We are all mortal, and if one thing doesn't get us when we are in our advanced years, something else will.

[Risottia]

My thoughts, prayers and condolences to John MCCain and his family, he should have been President of the USA, not Obama. Crazy Cuban Alberto.

His presidential campaign was kind of cringeworthy. The best part was his concession speech. The thing with McCain is that even when he's not a bad guy on a personal level, he lets the party push him around too much.

Wasn't he linked to some bribery scandal back in the Eighties? Uhm... Yes yes, he was. He took bribes in money and services from a company.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keating_Five

Another reason why he should NEVER got within ten miles of the Presidency, since to some the vote of American citizens isn't enough. I wish him a recovery or a painless end (brain cancer isn't nice), but politically he's been able to go on only by exploiting his veteran status.

[The Legionnaire Movement]

http://archive.4plebs.org/pol/thread/134268204

This came as a complete surprise to me, because his team, AND THE HOSPITAL, blatantly lied about the operation. There was no hematoma. They knew this was a tumor, from the start. The operation was a planned biopsy. Source: Me. I've seen upward of a THOUSAND of glioblastomas. They NEVER present as a hematoma. It was a mass. They knew if from the start.

Glioblastoma is a terrible, terrible tumor. It is assumed, from the very start, once found, that it has spread far and wide throughout the brain. We know this from doing autopsies. Even in normal appearing brain, far away from the tumor, small amounts of tumor are always identified. Surgical removal is only used when the tumor is so massive that it needs to be debulked. Chemotherapy and radiation are the only treatments, both of which are not good for you. IQ is significantly impacted following radiation therapy. That's a fact that you won't hear during any of this McCain discussion.

This explains John McCain's rambling statements from early June. He may have had this for months before that, in his frontal lobe of all places. That's the logic center for those interested.

McCain may survive this for years, but he'll be a fragment of his former self. Unfortunately, he cannot be a Senator in my opinion. He has already had a half-frontal lobotomy that will never get better. Radiation will makes things worse.

[Corrian]

Thankfully brain cancer grows very slowly and is very treatable!

Uh, no. Not this kind of brain cancer. Maybe the most common version does that. This version does not have a high survivable right, and I think different versions of the type can be even less so. My dads co-worker died of this same kind actually.

[Bombadil]

So umm.. Arizona.. is that super safe Republican? I mean, the nature of this probably means sympathy will ensure it's a Republican successor but.. while we're on the subject and not to dance on someone's tragic news but..

EDIT: just for clarity on what happens..

Under Arizona law, if McCain were no longer able to serve, the governor must appoint a replacement who has to be from the same party.

The successor would serve until the next statewide election. The winner of that election would serve out the unexpired term, which ends in 2022.

The law would allow Gov. Doug Ducey to appoint himself to fill the seat, according to legal experts.

More likely, political analysts say, is that Ducey would name a "placeholder" -- someone to hold the seat until the special election, and then bow out.

McCain's departure would set up the possibility of two U.S. Senate elections in Arizona in 2018: the McCain seat and Republican Sen. Jeff Flake's defense of his seat.

That could give Arizona voters the power to decide which party controls the U.S. Senate.

Since U.S. Senate seats don't come open very often in Arizona -- just 12 men have held the two seats since statehood 105 years ago -- and the terms are six years, expect several members of Congress to consider a run.

[Corrian]

And briefly on Carter, speaking of him

Carter suffers from dehydration, goes to hospital, gets discharged, immediately goes back to work

[Corrian]

So umm.. Arizona.. is that super safe Republican? I mean, the nature of this probably means sympathy will ensure it's a Republican successor but.. while we're on the subject and not to dance on someone's tragic news but..

Pretty sure they automatically give the seat to a Republican, from the governor. And no, it isn't actually that safe Republican, if there was an actual election.

[AiliailiA]

81 isn't much over life expectancy for someone born now, but of course he was born in the 1930's ... when life expectancy for a white male was only 61

That's....not how it works. Life expectancy numbers arent projections for how long someone born at that time will live, because obviously there will be medical advances in years to come.

Life expectancy numbers are in fact projections of how long someone born at that time will live. The vernacular "life expectancy" means "life expectancy at birth (LEB)" and until every person born in a given year has died, is only ever an estimate (ie period LEB).

For other reasons though, I was wrong. Since you haven't put you finger on exactly how, I won't wise you up.

More than half the men born the same year as John McCain, have now died. So it remains true that he's had a pretty good run.

[AiliailiA]

And briefly on Carter, speaking of him

Carter suffers from dehydration, goes to hospital, gets discharged, immediately goes back to work

I heard that. Saw pics of him wearing a dust mask, demolishing a slum or something. Awesome.

Funny thing about that CNN article, it's a great obituary with all those photos subtitled "Jimmy Carter's Legacy" then down the bottom it's "no wait, he said he was tired and sat down, not dead after all"

[Kennlind]

My remorse goes to people with brain cancer that didn't vote to kill tens of thousands in Iraq.

[AiliailiA]

My remorse goes to people with brain cancer that didn't vote to kill tens of thousands in Iraq.

Congress authorized "use of force" knowing that would mean invasion, so yeah all who voted Yea bear some responsibility. How it turned out though, including "killing tens of thousands", is down to the person Congress authorized.

Still I respect your opinion for not being outright gloating.

[Wallenburg]

http://archive.4plebs.org/pol/thread/134268204

This came as a complete surprise to me, because his team, AND THE HOSPITAL, blatantly lied about the operation. There was no hematoma. They knew this was a tumor, from the start. The operation was a planned biopsy. Source: Me. I've seen upward of a THOUSAND of glioblastomas. They NEVER present as a hematoma. It was a mass. They knew if from the start.

Glioblastoma is a terrible, terrible tumor. It is assumed, from the very start, once found, that it has spread far and wide throughout the brain. We know this from doing autopsies. Even in normal appearing brain, far away from the tumor, small amounts of tumor are always identified. Surgical removal is only used when the tumor is so massive that it needs to be debulked. Chemotherapy and radiation are the only treatments, both of which are not good for you. IQ is significantly impacted following radiation therapy. That's a fact that you won't hear during any of this McCain discussion.

This explains John McCain's rambling statements from early June. He may have had this for months before that, in his frontal lobe of all places. That's the logic center for those interested.

McCain may survive this for years, but he'll be a fragment of his former self. Unfortunately, he cannot be a Senator in my opinion. He has already had a half-frontal lobotomy that will never get better. Radiation will makes things worse.

You will excuse me if I don't take the word of a /pol/ "doctor" to heart.

[The Federation of Kendor]

That's a bad news. While I don't know his political views, though read a post saying that he authorized the invasion on Iraq, which probably deposed Saddam, but caused many casualties, I still think it's sad, no matter his views.

[Hindia Belanda]

Just saw this on the news... cancer fucking sucks. I may not agree with him politically, but I wish him recovery even though the odds are not good.

[AiliailiA]

http://archive.4plebs.org/pol/thread/134268204

You will excuse me if I don't take the word of a /pol/ "doctor" to heart.

Yeah, but even without the authority of a real doctor I can't see anything actually wrong in the medical opinion there. Of course, it could be blatantly wrong and I wouldn't know (I'm the one who initially said "brain cancer, no biggy that doesn't grow quickly" ... ie totally not a doctor myself), I'm just saying if it's a fake it's a pretty good one.

This study of side effects, radiation therapy for brain tumor in children finds some impairment of intelligence, and that's in children whose high brain plasticity allows better recovery from damage. However the article is old, and necrosis may no longer be such a problem with newer and better targetted radiation therapy techniques.

This paper describes radiation necrosis (of healthy brain tissue) versus the cancer itself as a "frequent diagnostic dilemma" ... though the paper is mostly about the method of measuring necrosis using MRI.

This page says:

Side effects of radiosurgery are usually related to sending high doses of radiation to particular areas of the skull. For instance, if you are treated for an acoustic neuroma (a tumor involving the nerve that controls hearing), you might lose some hearing. A small percentage of patients treated for trigeminal neuralgia experience tingling or numbness of the face.

Long-Term Side Effects

The side effects discussed thus far tend to occur during treatment up until a few months after treatment. Long-term effects can occur months to many years after cancer treatment and the risks vary depending on the areas included in the field of radiation and the radiation techniques that were used, as these continue to develop and improve.

Though the risk is low, you should be aware of these possible long-term effects:

...

Loss of some brain function can occur if large areas of the brain receive radiation. There may also be other symptoms that develop as a result of damage to healthy brain tissue. These symptoms are dependent on what the area of brain treated controls and how much radiation was given. These risks must be balanced against the risks of not using radiation and having less control of the tumor.

Pages more obviously aimed at cancer victims themselves (like from the UK and from the US downplay or omit any mention of cognitive impairment, while of course recommending to talk to the doctor about "other" side effects. Frankly, I think the prospect of a specific or general mental disability from treatment would scare the shit out of patients, so it's left to doctors in person to persuade them that risk is worth it if there's some chance of beating the cancer. Or ... not to ... if in the doctor's opinion the location of tumor makes side effects potentially worse than the disease and ultimately futile.

Disclaimer though, this is just my opinion. Led by a curiosity to 'test' the claims in the /pol/ post, I did some googling and skimming of articles and find the claim McCain would suffer significant mental impairment from radiation therapy plausible ... not in any way confirmed, but also not debunked.


Perhaps the most contentious claim there is that blastio-whatsit wasn't found accidentally but by a deliberate biopsy. Is there even much difference? McCain and his doctors, aware there's some problem and roughly where in his brain, got in there with an orthoscope, then the doctor saw something suspicious and took a sample. Claiming it was a deliberate biopsy from the start is not enough to support the implication that McCain has known for months he had cancer and what kind ... and this suggests the author of the /pol/ post is manufacting certainty to support their final political claim that McCain must retire ASAP.
Even if it is a "blatant lie" a more plausible explanation is that doctors downplayed the seriousness of what they suspected might be glioblastoma until they had an biopsy sample to confirm it, so in the sense it was a lie at all, it would be a white lie told to McCain himself.


After all, I'm suspicious of the post and don't accept "Source: me" but if the same thing had been posted first here on General, I would ask the author more questions instead of trying to tear the post to shreds. They might actually know what they're talking about.

[Herskerstad]

So umm.. Arizona.. is that super safe Republican? I mean, the nature of this probably means sympathy will ensure it's a Republican successor but.. while we're on the subject and not to dance on someone's tragic news but..

Pretty sure they automatically give the seat to a Republican, from the governor. And no, it isn't actually that safe Republican, if there was an actual election.

If it happened it would be another celebrity election. IE, where completely disproportionate amount of media, donations and interest are invested into a local affair. Feel like those may become a thing now which is sad.

[AiliailiA]

So umm.. Arizona.. is that super safe Republican? I mean, the nature of this probably means sympathy will ensure it's a Republican successor but.. while we're on the subject and not to dance on someone's tragic news but..

EDIT: just for clarity on what happens..

Under Arizona law, if McCain were no longer able to serve, the governor must appoint a replacement who has to be from the same party.

The successor would serve until the next statewide election. The winner of that election would serve out the unexpired term, which ends in 2022.

The law would allow Gov. Doug Ducey to appoint himself to fill the seat, according to legal experts.

More likely, political analysts say, is that Ducey would name a "placeholder" -- someone to hold the seat until the special election, and then bow out.

McCain's departure would set up the possibility of two U.S. Senate elections in Arizona in 2018: the McCain seat and Republican Sen. Jeff Flake's defense of his seat.

That could give Arizona voters the power to decide which party controls the U.S. Senate.

Since U.S. Senate seats don't come open very often in Arizona -- just 12 men have held the two seats since statehood 105 years ago -- and the terms are six years, expect several members of Congress to consider a run.

Going back to this. It seems you're quoting something but you don't name the source?

Vital piece of information is missing is when the next "statewide election" is. Seems there are some county elections held this year in Arizona, but they probably don't qualify as "state wide" so the next statewide election would be November 6th 2018.

ie a gubernatorial appointment would fill McCain's seat until then

[Hatay]

Just absolutely horrible. I hear the survival rate is low, but I now he's strong and he can recover. I hope he does, even if I may disagree with him.

[AiliailiA]

Pretty sure they automatically give the seat to a Republican, from the governor. And no, it isn't actually that safe Republican, if there was an actual election.

If it happened it would be another celebrity election. IE, where completely disproportionate amount of media, donations and interest are invested into a local affair. Feel like those may become a thing now which is sad.

You can complain of interference in a "local affair" when it's one seat of the US House. Not when it's one Senate seat.

Anyway, I think the special election wouldn't happen until next November when there will be thirty odd other Senate seats contested at the same time. Arizona will get double campaigning (by both parties) if there are TWO Senate seats up (one special, one of incumbent Jeff Flake) but hardly a "celebrity election".

Assuming there that McCain retires before then, actually it's possible he can tough it out (his current term doesn't end until 2022/3) and if he retires soon after the 2018 elections (or soon before: there must be a minimum time to organize a special election, probably tied to the primary calendar) then the governor will make an appointment for one or two years after. By state law, the appointee has to be a Republican. If polling looks grim fro Republicans early next year, avoiding the special election in November could be a way to hedge against losing BOTH Senate seats in Arizona ... though probably it won't be that bad. Being the party of Trump hasn't hurt Republicans too badly up until now.

[AiliailiA]

Just absolutely horrible. I hear the survival rate is low, but I now he's strong and he can recover. I hope he does.

He's tough, you could say "strong" in a mental sense, but physically he's not strong. Really you have to say, rather frail.

I hope he does what he thinks is best for the voters who elected him, which is to serve out his term unless he knows he won't be mentally capable to do so ... and if not, resign as soon as the Senate goes into recess (IF it does, hell if I know what's going on with that). But if that's not clear cut one way or the other, as probably it isn't, then McCain should do whatever is best for himself and his family, which is probably retirement to devote all his energy to beating cancer and giving his family as much as possible of what may be limited time left in his life.

[Outer Sparta]

He's very tough and he's a brave warrior. Best wishes for Senator McCain and his family.

[Soldati Senza Confini]

X-Posted at request from the Trump thread:

The type of cancer McCain has is relevant.

Glioblastoma is a very aggressive type of cancer that, even with resection, you still have microscopic metastatic cells, so remission is highly likely for McCain. The reason of these metastases has to do with the type of cells the cancer develops from, which is the astrocytes, and they are laced all over the brain, so it is likely that if it is a glioblastoma type IV, that his brain is laced with these metastasized cells.

Your assumptions about brain cancer are not necessarily wrong, AiliailiA, it's just that he happens to have a really shitty type of cancer that makes his prognosis largely gloomy. It all depends on how advanced they got the GBM though. Stages I and maybe II (which are known as astrocytomas clinically and not glioblastomas) have a high degree of 5+ years of survival. Advanced types of GBM, such as III and IV, have really poor chances of making it past the year.

http://archive.4plebs.org/pol/thread/134268204

This came as a complete surprise to me, because his team, AND THE HOSPITAL, blatantly lied about the operation. There was no hematoma. They knew this was a tumor, from the start. The operation was a planned biopsy. Source: Me. I've seen upward of a THOUSAND of glioblastomas. They NEVER present as a hematoma. It was a mass. They knew if from the start.

Glioblastoma is a terrible, terrible tumor. It is assumed, from the very start, once found, that it has spread far and wide throughout the brain. We know this from doing autopsies. Even in normal appearing brain, far away from the tumor, small amounts of tumor are always identified. Surgical removal is only used when the tumor is so massive that it needs to be debulked. Chemotherapy and radiation are the only treatments, both of which are not good for you. IQ is significantly impacted following radiation therapy. That's a fact that you won't hear during any of this McCain discussion.

This explains John McCain's rambling statements from early June. He may have had this for months before that, in his frontal lobe of all places. That's the logic center for those interested.

McCain may survive this for years, but he'll be a fragment of his former self. Unfortunately, he cannot be a Senator in my opinion. He has already had a half-frontal lobotomy that will never get better. Radiation will makes things worse.

Those are not guaranteed. They are highly likely with incompetent neurosurgeons, but they're not a certainty. In medicine, one has to always remember that most of these risks are always a probability, and in the documentation given to cancer patients, they try to make it seem like they can live through it because that's what oncologists have to do, give hope to their patients along with treatment that they can live through it. The poster might have seen up to a thousand of Glioblastomas, and if true, he might have seen the worst cases of GBMs, but not all GBMs are equal in their size or diagnosis, though. What most likely happened is that, because of the condition of McCain that a blood clot was how it showed up, they were suspecting "oh a hematoma, ez pz" until they did the MRI testing and saw that what they were dealing with was not a hematoma. Doctors do not know anything beyond what the patient tells them until they get test results, and even when you might know, you hold a sliver of hope.

In any case, the GBM of McCain might be rather advanced if it managed to manifest physical symptoms such as a blood clot, and if so he might be largely correct, your poster.

The other thing is, like I said, the media is saying McCain has a gioblastoma, we don't know. We don't have his medical records. It could be an astrocytoma (which can be easily mistaken for a glioblastoma), for all we know, which is far more survivable than a gioblastoma. It could be an exaggeration by the media, it might not, but even then, gioblastomas, if it is a gioblastoma, might not fuck with his cognitive abilities, but it could very well mean that he's not likely to survive past 2022, if not by 2018. His neurosurgeon and oncologist are going to have to make that call, but as it stands, gioblastoma doesn't bode well for him, and he most likely will have to retire as a US Senator this year if not the next one due to not being able to continue his duties as a senator in a proficient manner and the high risk of remission if it is a gioblastoma, given this new development.

[The East Marches II]

X-Posted at request from the Trump thread:

The type of cancer McCain has is relevant.

Glioblastoma is a very aggressive type of cancer that, even with resection, you still have microscopic metastatic cells, so remission is highly likely for McCain. The reason of these metastases has to do with the type of cells the cancer develops from, which is the astrocytes, and they are laced all over the brain, so it is likely that if it is a glioblastoma type IV, that his brain is laced with these metastasized cells.

Your assumptions about brain cancer are not necessarily wrong, AiliailiA, it's just that he happens to have a really shitty type of cancer that makes his prognosis largely gloomy. It all depends on how advanced they got the GBM though. Stages I and maybe II (which are known as astrocytomas clinically and not glioblastomas) have a high degree of 5+ years of survival. Advanced types of GBM, such as III and IV, have really poor chances of making it past the year.

http://archive.4plebs.org/pol/thread/134268204

Those are not guaranteed. They are highly likely with incompetent neurosurgeons, but they're not a certainty. In medicine, one has to always remember that most of these risks are always a probability, and in the documentation given to cancer patients, they try to make it seem like they can live through it because that's what oncologists have to do, give hope to their patients along with treatment that they can live through it. The poster might have seen up to a thousand of Glioblastomas, and if true, he might have seen the worst cases of GBMs, but not all GBMs are equal in their size or diagnosis, though. What most likely happened is that, because of the condition of McCain that a blood clot was how it showed up, they were suspecting "oh a hematoma, ez pz" until they did the MRI testing and saw that what they were dealing with was not a hematoma. Doctors do not know anything beyond what the patient tells them until they get test results, and even when you might know, you hold a sliver of hope.

In any case, the GBM of McCain might be rather advanced if it managed to manifest physical symptoms such as a blood clot, and if so he might be largely correct, your poster.

The other thing is, like I said, the media is saying McCain has a gioblastoma, we don't know. We don't have his medical records. It could be an astrocytoma (which can be easily mistaken for a blastocytoma), for all we know, which is far more survivable than a gioblastoma. It could be an exaggeration by the media, it might not, but even then, gioblastomas, if it is a gioblastoma, might not fuck with his cognitive abilities, but it could very well mean that he's not likely to survive past 2022, if not by 2018. His neurosurgeon and oncologist are going to have to make that call, but as it stands, gioblastoma doesn't bode well for him, and he most likely will have to retire as a US Senator this year if not the next one due to not being able to continue his duties as a senator in a proficient manner and the high risk of remission if it is a gioblastoma, given this new development.

Excellent post, thanks for the good information on the matter.