This Bob Bazell hack on MSNBC is pissing me off.

[Barack_America]

He's basically writing off Teddy Kennedy as dead with no evidence WHATSOEVER!

First of all, let me point out that he has no medical training. Which is good, because if he did, he should probably lose his license for his approach to this situation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Bazell

I'd also like to point out that he most certainly has NO ACCESS to Kennedy's medical records, nor do these so-called "experts" that he's supposedly talking to.

Thus, he has no idea:

-What kind of glioma this is. There are several types of gliomas, representing the various classes of "glial" cells. The type of glioma profoundly affects prognosis.

-The grade of the glioma, i.e. how aggressive the tumor is. This enormously impacts prognosis.

-The size of the glioma. This will largely determine whether or not surgery is a viable option, which also affects prognosis.

-The depth of the glioma. Again, a surgical consideration.

And there are other, more molecular considerations as well.

http://www.abta.org/index.cfm?contentid=230

Let me repeat...NO ONE HAS ACCESS TO ANY OF THIS INFORMATION!

Hell, I guarantee you that his biopsy specimens are still currently under the microscopes of at least two neuropathologists. These diagnoses take time!

So this Bazell guy is talking out of his ass. His "experts" have told him what the average diagnosis/prognosis is of a guy Kennedy's age and he's regurgitating that as fact.

But it is NOT yet fact and all of this discussion of a "grim" prognosis and discussing Kennedy in the past tense is disgustingly premature.

:rant:

Thanks. There's a special place on my shit list for media science hacks. And this guy has mentioned Kennedy's "breast cancer" no less than five times this afternoon. :grr:

[TheFarseer]

1. We need Bill Frist to examine him

If he thinks Teri Schivo is just sleeping, he'll think Ted Kennedy is ready to compete in the Olympics.

[liberaldem4ever]

9. I had totally forgotten about Bill Frist

Gag my gut, what a creepy ass doctor. Didn't he adopt kittens and use them to dissect? Wow, I'm glad he is out of Congress and I hope he isn't practicing medicine anywhere. On people or animals.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

2. "There's a special place on my shit list for media science hacks"

Mine too. :grr:

[Zodiak]

8. Agreed

but then again, ALL media hacks as of late have long been off the information reservation.

[SlipperySlope]

3. "malignant glioma" is code for "glioblastoma multiforme"

The medical experts can only speak in generalities as they don't know they specifics. But they do know how other doctors think and talk.

"preliminary results from a biopsy of the brain identified the cause of the seizure as a malignant glioma in the left parietal lobe." = glioblastoma multiforme

You are right though. The other considerations can make the difference between a 3 month prognosis and a 30 month prognosis.

[Barack_America]

5. Not necessarily.

There are several other types of gliomas, which can also be malignant.

True, however, that the GBM would be the most common for a man of his age. But still, that's just an assumption.

[SlipperySlope]

6. Agreed, but...

Any neurooncologist watching that press conference would think to themself "almost certainly GBM".

So, yes, nothing is publicly known with certainty. But statistics are talking...

[spanone]

4. msnbc is funny they are talking about kennedy in the past

[AllentownJake]

7. I love Senator Kennedy

However at his age and the quality of life that may be associated with the treatment and the prognosis of recovery he may be considering no treatment and that might be the delay.

My father decided that after he was given the option of 2 years of intense pain and a 80% chance he would die anyway. He made the choice to let the cancer take him. It was a different type of cancer but in these situations its something as a patient you consider.