Sudden Death from Brain Tumour – A Report Introduction Sudden death from an undiagnosed brain tumour is an exceptionally rare event, but not to the point of being implausible. Out of the several types of brain tumours that develop in the human brain cells, glioblastomas are the most likely to cause unexpected deaths, according to neurologists in Darbhanga, working at a known brain cancer hospital in India. Glioblastomas are highly malignant (cancerous) and reproduce quickly, and generally found in the cerebral hemispheres of the brain. What’s worse, glioblastomas are relatively common, representing about 12% to 20% of all intra-cranial tumours.
Causes of Sudden Death from a Brain Tumour Sudden death is usually caused if the glioblastoma begins to bleed in the brain causing massive haemorrhage. Another cause could be increasing intracranial pressure that increases to the point that after coma, there is "herniation" of the brain stem (pushing of the brain stem through the opening in the base of the skull between the skull and the spinal cord in the neck), and this causes stoppage of respiration and rapid death. It is highly unlikely that this happens without a person’s knowledge that something is very wrong, as a brain tumour at this stage will cause severe symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, blurry vision, problems with coordination and inevitably coma.
What Is The Outlook In Case of A Glioblastoma? With standard treatment, which consists of radiation therapy and chemotherapy the median survival (average rate of survival) is 14 months. 30% of patients also survive around 2 years. 10% of patient may survive 5 years or longer with extensive treatment. The neurologist doctors at the hospital in Darbhanga, known for leading brain tumour treatment in Darbhanga and the adjacent areas of Bihar and Jharkhand say that although the odds are stacked against the patient, they work with all they have, and are sometimes rewarded with success, and patient live more than 5 years.