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Why was John McCain hospitalized?
He recently was hospitalized due to side effects from chemotherapy and radiation treatments. There are more than 100 distinct types of brain and nervous system tumors, but current media focus is mostly on one because of the hospitalization last week of Sen. John McCain, 81 (R-Ariz.).
What is McCain's cancer?
McCain’s form of cancer, called glioblastoma, is particularly aggressive and deadly. It also has claimed the lives of Ted Kennedy, Beau Biden — son of former Vice President Joe Biden — and a surprising number of retired Major League Baseball players.
Can chemo get past the blood brain barrier?
For starters, it’s tricky finding medications that can get past the blood-brain barrier, the thick membrane of blood vessels that shields the brain from harmful substances. Plus, this type of cancer is notoriously resistant to most chemotherapies. And even for the one that is marginally effective, it’s hard to get enough chemo into ...
