Glioblastoma is considered the most aggressive tumor that can form in the brain. Senator John McCain was diagnosed with one in July 2017.

Patients have a 10 per cent chance of surviving five years after their diagnosis, according to figures. The average lifespan is between 14 and 16 months.

Three adults per every 100,000 will be struck down with a glioblastoma, says The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS).

It is most commonly found in men aged 50 to 60, and there is no link between developing glioblastoma and having a previous history with other cancers.

WHAT IS THE TUMOR MADE OF? 

The tumor is made up of a mass of cells growing quickly in the brain, and in most cases patients have no family history of the disease.

It won’t spread to other organs, however, once it is diagnosed, it is nearly impossible to target, surgeons claim.

Unlike other types of brain cancer which are more specifically located, glioblastoma can occur in any part of the brain. 

WHAT TREATMENT IS AVAILABLE? 

Because the tumor likely already spread deep into the brain by the time it is diagnosed, the cancerous tissue is incredibly difficult to remove. 

Surgeon will only ever remove the tumor, or part of the tumor, if it won’t do any damage to the surrounding brain tissue.

Dr Babcar Cisse, a neurosurgeon at the Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center, told Daily Mail Online in July 2017: ‘By the time a glioblastoma is diagnosed, microfibers can spread to the rest of the brain which an MRI would not spot.

‘So even if the main tumor is removed and the patient receives radiation and chemotherapy, it will come back.’ 

GRADING A GLIOBLASTOMA

Brain tumors are graded from between one to four, depending on how fast they grow and how aggressive they are.

Malignant tumors are either given a high-grade three or four, while benign ones are given a lower grade one or two. 

Glioblastoma is often referred to as a grade four astrocytoma – another form of brain tumor, says the AANS.

SYMPTOMS

Patients typically complain of symptoms such as confused vision, trouble with memory, dizziness and headaches.

The symptoms are somewhat nonspecific, and vary from person to person, and may not persist. 

Some patients suffer from blindness if the tumour compresses their optic nerve, which connects the retina to the brain, resulting in vision loss.

The disease is therefore impossible to diagnose based on symptoms alone.

 

A third of adults lack confidence that they can access a GP, ambulance or NHS hospital treatment in a ‘timely way’, a damning study reveals.

Healthwatch England described the results as ‘worrying’ and warned health leaders must act to ensure these ‘negative perceptions’ do not put patients off seeking help.

The patient watchdog, which commissioned the poll of 2,507 people, found confidence in the health service has dwindled this year as it has been rocked by strikes.

Older people and those who are struggling financially are now among the least confident that they would receive NHS care when they need it.

The findings come as waiting lists stand at a record 7.6million people — equal to around one in seven of the population.

The survey asked people to rate how confident they are that they could secure timely access to 13 NHS services, including A&E, ambulances, non-urgent operations and procedures, GPs, pharmacists, mental health support and dentists.

An average of 32 per cent of respondents said they were not confident or very confident.

Out of hours GP services were rated the worst, with half of people (50 per cent), lacking confidence that they could see a family doctor in a timely fashion at night and weekends.

This was followed by non-urgent operations and procedures (46 per cent), mental health support (44 per cent), GP service during the day (42 per cent) and dental care (39 per cent).

Almost a third (31 per cent) did not think they would be seen quickly in A&E while 30 per cent said they lacked confidence that an ambulance would arrive promptly, should the need arise.

However, Healthwatch England found that confidence was typically higher among people who had used services in the last six months.

Overall, public confidence in accessing timely care is lower now than it was at the start of the year, with nearly half of people (43 per cent) saying that they feel less confident accessing timely care than they felt they were at the start of 2023.

This is compared to 16 per cent of people who said they had more confidence now than they had at the start of the year.

Louise Ansari, chief executive of Healthwatch England, said: ‘With demand for care likely to rise this winter, the negative perception that the NHS can’t provide timely care needs urgent attention to ensure people do seek medical attention when needed.

‘If people are not confident in requesting a referral for treatment or calling an ambulance, they put their health at risk.

‘Delaying medical attention also adds further strain on NHS services.

‘People seeking care need to have higher confidence in NHS services, given the hard work of NHS staff and local improvements achieved in many areas, supported by national recovery plans for primary care and urgent and emergency care.

‘As the busy winter period for the NHS approaches, we urge healthcare leaders to address the lack of confidence that many people, especially older people and those on lower incomes, have in accessing timely care when they need it.

‘Simple steps such as improving patient communication and accurately recording treatment plan details will also help assure people that the NHS is there for them.’

Healthwatch England said the NHS should employ more staff to support people who are anxiously waiting for care.

Patients should get regular updates, health support and access to physiotherapy while on waiting lists, with medics ensuring they have appropriate pain relief, it added.

The patient watchdog said that the poll highlighted health inequalities, with a number of groups expressing less confidence they would be able to access care in a timely fashion.

Only 24 per cent of people aged 65 and over felt they would be able to access care in a timely way while 26 per cent of those from poorer backgrounds felt confident they would have prompt access to services.

Rob Fleay, 52, has been waiting for an appointment with a consultant for over a year following his surgery to remove part of his bowel.

The IT consultant from Derby said that during the waiting period he also struggled to touch base with his GP.

‘Over a year after my surgery, I have yet to see a Gastro consultant to understand what this diagnosis means and what ongoing care is required,’ he said.

‘I have had multiple consultant appointments booked and then cancelled at the last minute by the hospital, often the day before.

‘In every case a new appointment was not given, I was just told to wait to receive a letter with a new appointment. Those multiple cancellations made me incredibly anxious.

‘I’m not very confident in the NHS. Even getting an appointment at my GP surgery is a nightmare.

‘You are forced to call at 8am but waiting time on the phone is usually around 20 minutes and often you are told that all the slots for the day have gone.’

An NHS England spokesperson said: ‘As Healthwatch points out, patients can be confident that they can access the care they need with post-pandemic recovery plans delivering real improvements right across a range of NHS services – category two ambulance response times are an hour faster than in December, the longest waits for treatment have more than halved from their peak and GP practices are seeing 1.3 million more patients every month compared to last year.

‘Despite ongoing pressures and the impact of industrial action, it is reassuring to see those who have recently accessed care are the most confident.

‘The NHS is continuing to encourage people to come forward for the care they need with symptom spotting campaigns, while staff are also ensuring those on waiting lists receive support, including pain relief and mental health advice.’

A six-month-old boy prescribed an antiviral drug to treat Covid had a bizarre reaction – his dark brown eyes turned a bright blue within 18 hours of therapy.

The unnamed infant from Thailand was given favipiravir, a treatment commonly used for influenza and Ebola, which is approved as a Covid treatment in parts of Asia – but not yet approved in the US.

Doctors in Bangkok who treated the infant said the antiviral drug released a fluorescent chemical that accumulated in the boy’s corneas. 

While the boy’s eyes changed hue shortly after receiving the treatment, they returned to their natural color five days after medication cessation. 

In Thailand, favipiravir is the main antiviral given to children infected with SARS-CoV-2.

The most common side effects of the treatment include an increase of uric acid in the body, diarrhea and a low count of white blood cells, which account for roughly 20 percent of adverse events.

Favipiravir is approved in Japan, Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Moldova and Kazakhstan and received approval for emergency use in Italy in 2020.

The US began trialing the drug in April 2020 with a small group of 50 people at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

But the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to approve favipiravir in the US.

The report on the infant was published in April 2023, but the exact date of the side effect is unknown.

On day one, he received 82 milligrams, and 18 hours later, his mother noticed the eye color change.

‘No bluish discoloration was observed in other areas such as skin, nails, or oral and nasal mucosa. Symptoms improved after three days of favipiravir therapy,’ the researchers wrote in the study published in the journal Frontiers in Pediatrics.

An eye examination was performed after treatment was over.

‘The patient was able to fix and follow the light in all directions,’ reads the study. 

Researchers wrote that this fluorescence ‘may be due to the drug, its metabolites, or additional tablet components such as titanium dioxide and yellow ferric oxide.’

Several medications can affect the eye, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, blood thinners and antihistamines. 

A class of medication called prostaglandins, used to treat glaucoma, has a side effect of darkening the iris color that can be permanent.

Doctors also found the cornea was clear and lacked a bluish corneal hue, and no blue pigment deposit was observed on the surface of the iris or the anterior lens capsule.

While the boy is the youngest patient to receive the treatment, he is not the first to experience the bizarre side effect. 

A 2021 study reports the case of a 20-year-old man in India who endured the exact eye color change.

He received favipiravir, and on the second day, he noticed discoloration of his eyes – the same deep blue that returned to natural brown when treatment had stopped.

‘We assumed that the bluish corneal hue could be related to favipiravir and advised the patient to stop using favipiravir immediately. It was remarkable to note that the very next day, upon stopping favipiravir the patient’s corneas returned to normal color,’ reads the paper published by a team from Medicine Healthway Hospitals in India.

Following this case, the team sifted through the literature to find other instances but determined this man is the first case of favipiravir causing bluish discoloration of the corneas.

 

Model Bella Hadid revealed she has spent more than 100 days receiving intense treatment for Lyme disease after ‘worsening with time.’ 

Hadid, 26, was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2012, which is spread by ticks carrying bacteria and affects one in 10 people in North America. 

While it’s unclear exactly what her treatment entailed, Dr Lenore Brancato, a rheumatologist at NYU Langone, told DailyMail.com that it could involve a combination of pain management, medications, and holistic remedies.

‘Chronic [Lyme disease] often includes post-infectious musculoskeletal pain, cognitive difficulty and generalized debilitating fatigue,’ Dr Brancato said. 

‘It can be treated with antidepressants, pain management and holistic adjuncts like acupuncture, yoga, physical therapy and strengthening exercises and cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness meditation.’

Hadid took to social media to address her taking time off from modeling earlier this week.

‘The little me that suffered would be so proud of grown me for not giving up on myself,’ Hadid wrote on Instagram.

‘Living in this state, worsening with time and work while trying to make myself, my family and the people who support me, proud, had taken a toll on me in ways I can’t really explain.’

‘To be sad and sick with the most blessing/privilege/opportunity/love around me was quite possibly the most confusing thing ever.’ 

For many cases of Lyme disease, a short course of antibiotics is enough to cure it, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  

However, chronic cases, like Hadid’s, require more intensive treatment. Lyme disease symptoms that persist for at least six months after completing initial treatment results in Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS). 

‘Symptoms may persist for months or years after treatment of Lyme,’ Dr Brancato said. 

‘The cause of persistent nonspecific symptoms after treatment for Lyme disease remains uncertain.’  

Treatment for PTLDS depends on the patient’s symptoms and any complications they may have received, including anemia, thyroid deficiencies, carpal tunnel syndrome, vitamin deficiencies, or autoimmune diseases. 

Hadid posted an image on Instagram of results from a 2016 urine sample. The results listed eight microbes that were detected in the sample, suggesting she’s had multiple infections at the same time.

Treating other infections can involve antibiotic therapy, though some microbes are resistant to these medications. 

‘The best way to prevent co-infections is [to] use tick repellants containing DEET or permethrin, wear white clothing so ticks can be seen, placing clothes in dryers after outdoor activities and shower shortly after coming indoors,’ Dr Brancato said.

In another image, she appears to be getting an electrocardiogram, a test used to measure heart rhythm. This suggests that she could have an irregular heart rhythm or other cardiac issues. 

It’s unclear what additional complications Hadid may have had or what symptoms she has experienced. Her treatment could have involved symptom management, including medications to help with pain and fatigue, or it could have been to treat other conditions. 

In photos posted to her Instagram, she appears to have a port in her arm, which is used to make frequent blood draws and intravenous medications easier to administer. This suggests that she requires one or both of those interventions. 

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread to humans by infected ticks.

It’s transmitted by black-legged ticks carrying either the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi or, more rarely, Borrelia mayonii. 

Ticks carrying this bacteria live in most states within the US, but they are most common in the upper Midwest, northeastern, and mid-Atlantic states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

It’s the most common vector-borne (a disease caused by blood-feeding organisms like ticks, mosquitos, and fleas) in the US. A study published earlier this year in the journal BMJ Global Health found that 14 percent of the world’s population could have been infected with the disease. 

There are 35,000 cases reported every year in the US, however the CDC estimates the actual number could be closer to 476,000. 

A bullseye-shaped rash, also known as an erythema migrans (EM) rash, is one of the earliest and most obvious signs. 

As it expands, the mark can reach up to 12 inches or more. It is rarely itchy or painful, but it may feel warm to the touch. 

This rash can last anywhere from three to 30 days and occurs in 70 to 80 percent of Lyme disease patients.

Other early symptoms include fever, headache, extreme tiredness, joint stiffness, muscle aches and pains, and swollen lymph nodes, according to the Mayo Clinic. 

If the condition progresses, it can cause rashes all over the body, neck pain or stiffness, muscle weakness, irregular heartbeats, pain or numbness in the hands or feet, swelling in tissues of the eye or eyelid, and vision loss.

About one in 10 people with the condition develop Lyme arthritis, which happens when the disease gets into connective tissue in the joints, leading to symptoms similar to arthritis, including swollen joints that are warm to the touch.  

A recent survey of over 3,000 chronic Lyme patients found that patients have a worse quality of life than those with other chronic illnesses, including congestive heart failure, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and arthritis. 

Additionally, more than 70 percent of patients with chronic Lyme disease reported fair or poor health. 

Though Hadid is undergoing intense treatment, she remains optimistic. 

‘One thing I want to express to you all is that 1: I am okay and you do not have to worry, and 2: I wouldn’t change anything for the world,’ she said. 

‘If I had to go through all of this again, to get here, to this exact moment I’m in right now, with all of you, finally healthy, I would do it all again. It made me who I am today

“I have so much gratitude for and perspective on life, this 100+ days of Lyme, chronic disease, co-infection treatment, almost 15 years of invisible suffering, was all worth it if I’m able to, God willing, have a lifetime of spreading love from a full cup, and being able to truly be myself, for the first time ever.’

‘I’ll be back when I’m ready. I miss you all so much. I love you all so much.’ 

Hope for thousands with ADHD as scientists say new brain treatment can ‘transform’ lives of sufferers

• University of Surrey researchers recruited 23 unmedicated children with ADHD
• They took a two-week programme of brain stimulations and cognitive training
• More than half showed significant improvements in symptoms after the 2 weeks 

By Xantha Leatham Deputy Science Editor For The Daily Mail

Updated: 20:00 EDT, 1 August 2023

The Inspector calls at Cliveden House, the hotel where Meghan Markle stayed before the royal wedding. However, he doesn’t exactly get the royal treatment. Here’s his verdict…

By The Inspector

Updated: 05:12 EDT, 20 June 2023

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Patients will be offered faster treatment hundreds of miles from home in a bid to slash record waiting times.

The NHS has been told it must give people alternative options, including travelling longer distances to beat the biggest queues.

The new guidelines will see patients able to search details like distance and current waiting times using the NHS app before deciding where they would like to be referred.

GPs will also be closely monitored about whether patients are being made aware of their right to choose.

From today, those already frustrated by long waits will be able to switch to a hospital with shorter lists should they wish to.

Officials hope ’empowering patients’ to shape their care will help drastically reduce the 7.3 million currently waiting for NHS treatment.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: ‘Currently, just one in ten patients make a choice about where they receive care. We want to change that by helping the NHS to offer patients a real choice while also giving patients the information they need to decide.

‘Our aim is to create an NHS built around patients, where everyone has more control over the care they receive, wherever they live or whatever their health needs are.’

He added: ‘Empowering patients to choose where they receive treatment will help cut waiting lists, one of my five key priorities.’

Despite being introduced almost two decades ago, just one in ten patients currently exercise their right to choose where they receive treatment.

Under the new guidelines, those who have waited more than 40 weeks for treatment will be asked it the want to be referred elsewhere, with bosses hoping to extend this to 18 week waits in time.

NHS hospitals with spare capacity will be asked to provide ‘mutual aid’ to those with the longest waits, cutting waits by an estimated three months. Private hospitals are also expected to be utilized more to help bring down waits.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said the NHS app would help ‘wipe months off’ people’s waiting times.

He said: ‘Millions of people downloaded the NHS App during the pandemic. Increasing use of this fantastic resource will enable them to exercise more choice and get access to essential information about the options for their care including journey time, length of wait and quality of service – all at the swipe of a smartphone screen.

‘This will not only give patients more control over their own care but could also wipe months off their wait by finding a hospital or clinic with a shorter waiting list.’

Patient and hospital groups welcomed drives to reduce waits but warned it risked ostracising the elderly or less tech-savvy and would rely on GPs to relay choices to many.

Rachel Power, of the Patients Association, said: ‘We hope the planned communications campaign will clearly explain choice and encourage people to exercise it.

‘We welcome news of the support general practice is to get, but with the current pressures on general practice, it will be important they are supported to work in partnership with their patients to increase uptake of patient choice.’

NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, said improving patient choice is ‘not a panacea for the wider challenges facing the NHS as it tackles record waiting lists.’

Miriam Deakin, director of policy and strategy, said: ‘Some patients will welcome more choice over where they receive their care, but we know others will want to be treated at a site closer to home as quickly as possible.

‘And while using technology to help patients better access the care they need is positive, steps must also be taken to guard against digital exclusion, which could worsen health inequalities that have become even more deep-rooted since the pandemic.’

NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard, said: ‘By giving patients greater choice and more information about their care through the convenience of the NHS app, we can change the way people access treatment options while also building on the fantastic work already being done by NHS staff across the country in bringing down the longest waits for care.’

The number of Brits paying for private medical treatment has risen by more than a third since Covid began, figures show.

Roughly 199,000 people forked out for ops such as hip and knee replacements and cataract surgery in 2019.

But last year the figure stood at 272,000, a rise of 36.7 per cent. 

Record waits for routine NHS procedures have been blamed for the spiralling trend, with 7.33million now in the queue. 

The £150billion-a-year service is creaking at the seams, with it battered by a staffing exodus, Covid-induced backlogs and a series of devastating strikes over the winter.

Sommer Tebenham, from Hove, is just one who turned to private healthcare, taking out a £5,500 loan to fund a gallbladder op after being told she faced a wait of up to 12 months.

In a bid to combat the ever-growing waiting list, the NHS is expected to pay private companies to perform cancer checks.

Rishi Sunak will unveil the policy next month, it was claimed today. 

Patients will also be able to book NHS-funded procedures in private facilities using the app under separate plans set to be confirmed tomorrow.

Data on the number of Brits deserting the ailing NHS is from the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN), which shares information about performance and fees of private consultants and hospitals.

It shows that just 199,000 procedures were private in 2019.

This dropped to around 145,000 in 2020, as the pandemic saw both the NHS and paid-for ops ground to a near halt as resources were redirected to treating those most unwell with the virus.

Private treatment numbers bounced back to approximately 262,000 in 2021 before spiking at 272,000 in 2022.

Cataract surgery was the most popular private procedure, followed by therapeutics, such as chemo. Hip and knee replacements and hernia repair surgery were other in-demand options.

This is despite some treatments costing more than £15,000. Some providers offer pay monthly deals.

Separate figures show 550,000 paid for private insurance in 2022 — 30,000 fewer than 2019, which experts say is driven by the cost of living crisis.

Providers say patients are increasingly desperate for treatment due to record NHS waits, according to the PHIN.

Latest NHS England data shows that the backlog is at the highest level since record began in August 2007, with one in eight people in the country waiting for treatment.

Ms Tebenham is one patient who has turned to private care.

She was diagnosed with gallstones in November 2022 and told that an operation to remove them should have been in April 2023 — but it could six to 12 months later.

The 28-year-old then borrowed £5,500, which she will be paying off for the next two years, to fund the procedure at a clinic in Luton.

She told the BBC: ‘It’s the best thing I’ve ever done because I’m no longer in pain.’

But Ms Tebenham is angry that she had to pay for the op herself, as she has been paying National Insurance — which, in part, funds the NHS — since she was 18. 

‘If this was any other industry, if you pay for a service and you don’t receive it, you should get a refund,’ she told the broadcaster.

Dr Ian Gargan, chief executive of PHIN, said: ‘There is a whole combination of factors influencing this growth, with the long NHS waiting lists, and uncertainty around how long you’ll be waiting, certainly key among them.

‘We know that everyone loves and respects the NHS and its hard-working staff, but people are increasingly investigating healthcare alternatives.’

It comes as private companies are set to be paid to treat NHS patients. 

This will see around 12 cancer diagnostic centres open in the South West, which has some of the longest waits. They will be operated by a single providers.

If the pilot is a success, similar schemes will be rolled out in other areas with the biggest backlogs, which are expected to be the East of England and South East. 

The NHS already has dozens of diagnostic hubs across the country, which offer blood tests and scans. 

Experts warned that cancer patients are dying while waiting for treatment, after NHS England data showed that two in five patients are not receiving within 62 days. They condemned ‘avoidable delays’ and warned that ‘live will be lost unnecessarily’. 

Rishi Sunak is expected to announce the move next month as part of his plan to use the sector to speed up the NHS recovery, according to The Telegraph.

And on Thursday, the Prime Minister will set out how patients will be able to use the NHS app to choose where they are treated, including private hospitals.

Those in England will be able to select their preferred hospital when first referred, or later in the process if their is a shorter wait at another location.

GPs will be monitored under the rules to ensure that they are informing patients of their ability to choose where they are treated.

One source told the newspaper: ‘This is about giving more power to the patient. Partly it’s about using the app for that, so patients aren’t reliant on their GP to tell them they don’t just have to go to the local hospital. 

‘But it’s also about an expansion in the role of the private sector, starting with independent sector-led hubs.’

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer this week unveiled his plans to reform the NHS, which includes similar plans to offer patients more choice on where they are treated. 

It comes as official figures show the number of nurses working in the UK has reached its highest level on record.

There are now 788,638 nurses, midwives and nursing associates registered to work, according to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

The regulator welcomed the rise of more than 30,000 in a year but issued a stark warning about the number leaving the profession early.

And data shows more than half of the new registrants trained overseas, leading the Royal College of Nursing to warn the NHS has become ‘over-reliant’ on unsustainable foreign recruitment. 

The NMC pointed to ‘worrying findings’ from its leavers’ survey which indicate that many decided to leave the profession due to burnout or exhaustion, concerns about the quality of people’s care, workload or staffing levels.