Incurable brain tumor detected by pregnancy 17-year-old manages only a few months

17-year-old pregnant woman with dead brain tumor hopes for a Christmas miracle

A 17-year-old US female, seven months pregnant, has been diagnosed with an extremely dangerous, incurable brain tumor. The young woman will probably have only a few months to live, according to the medical profession. Now she is hoping for a Christmas miracle.

Pregnant teenagers with low life expectancy

17-year-old Dana S. of Pennsylvania (USA) has been diagnosed with a rare, incurable brain tumor. According to doctors, the patient only has a life expectancy of three to nine months. Now the young woman, who is seven months pregnant, hopes for a Christmas miracle.

A 17-year-old American woman has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. Your forecasts look bleak. The adolescent, who is seven months pregnant, now hopes for a Christmas miracle. (Image: sudok1 / fotolia.com)

Inoperable brain tumor discovered

Pennsylvania-born 17-year-old Dana S. was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in mid-December following a routine checkup, British daily Daily Mail reports.

The young woman is seven months pregnant and probably will not see her child grow up. According to the medical profession, the patient probably has only a few months left to live.

According to the newspaper report, the teenager suffers from DIPG (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma). Such brain tumors are particularly dangerous and often can not be operated on; not even with Dana S.

"A very bad prognosis for patients whose tumor is not open to surgery," it says on the portal "kinderkrebsinfo.de".

"The survival prospects of patients with such tumors are virtually zero," the experts write.

Without treatment only two to three months to live

Pennsylvania physicians are now pushing to deliver the baby within the next three weeks. Then the patient could start immediately with the radiation therapy.

This could increase the life expectancy of the adolescents to nine months and reduce the risk of complications for the child.

Without treatment, doctors give her two to three months to live.

The teenage girl told the Daily Mail that she and her family are currently discussing with physicians the best treatment for themselves and to save the baby.

In the newspaper, she also explained how her serious illness first became noticeable.

Teenagers thought about side effects of pregnancy

Among the symptoms of the pons gliomas include, according to the German Tumor Aid, among other things intracranial pressure signs (headache, nausea and vomiting) and balance disorders.

Dana S.'s first signs came at the end of November. "I noticed that it was exhausting to swallow, then walking became more difficult and even speaking was difficult."

At the beginning of December, the symptoms had worsened, and then her legs began to feel limp so that she could no longer walk properly.

At first the young woman thought the complaints came from the pregnancy and the stress.

Two weeks later, she told her doctor during a routine checkup what bothered her. In a subsequent MRI examination, the brain tumor was then discovered. The first thing that went through her mind, "Is my baby okay?"

Her mother Lenore, 51, had a similar idea: "Will I lose my baby?"

Patient expects a miracle

Due to her pregnancy, Dana has been reluctant to start the radiation treatment. While cancer rarely affects a growing baby directly, aggressive treatment can be dangerous not only to the mother but also to the child.

Because in this case, however, the head and not the pregnant belly would be irradiated, the risk is according to the doctors, rather low for the fetus.

As Dana's symptoms get worse every day, doctors do not recommend waiting any longer.

While the prognosis is gloomy, the young woman remains hopeful. "I will not go after what they say, I expect a miracle."

The information on "kinderkrebsinfo.de" also makes a bit of hope: "The illness of a patient with highly malignant glioma can be quite unexpected even under the most favorable or unfavorable conditions." (Ad)