A 59-year-old Briton complained of tingling in his left hand. He was eventually diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer.
- Steve Dixon, 59, had been experiencing tingling in his left hand for some time.
- A CT scan revealed it to be glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive form of brain tumor.
- The treatment of glioblastoma is only palliative, since it only aims to somewhat delay the progression of the disease.
Steve Dixon was 59 when he died in January 2021 of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), an aggressive brain tumor with uncertain treatment.
Grandfather of three grandchildren, this Briton did not smoke and drank only on rare occasions. “Steve was a fit, healthy man who loved nothing more than a game of football or golf”says his wife Jane, in the newspaper The Mirror.
Also, when he began in March 2019 to feel tingling in his left hand, the fifties did not think for a moment that he had cancer. The tingling in the hand and arm being rather the signs of a transient ischemic stroke, Steve Dixon then consulted to be certain that no blood clot was temporarily obstructing a cerebral vessel. The verdict finally fell in March 2019.
“It happened very suddenly, continues Jane. He went to the doctor, and they told him he might have had a stroke. After a scan, the doctors then discovered a mass in his brain.
A frequent and aggressive brain tumor
The tumor Steve Dixon is suffering from is glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a primary brain tumour. It is the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer. In France, approximately 5,000 cases of GBM are diagnosed each year, with a low survival rate estimated at 15 months. And this, despite treatment combining intracranial surgery and radiotherapy and chemotherapy sessions.
It is this heavy treatment to which Steve Dixon will submit, who finally sees his condition improve for a few months. But in March 2020, he relapsed. Transferred to palliative care, he finally died surrounded by his family on January 9, 2021.
Today, his wife Jane continues her fight: to make this brain tumor better known, as well as its symptoms, including tingling in the limbs. “My tragic experience has made me realize the terrible statistics surrounding brain tumours. I want to do everything I can to prevent other families from being torn apart by a brain tumor diagnosis”says the wife of Steve Dixon.
Recalling that cancer “does not discriminate”, she now devotes herself to raising funds to find a cure for brain tumors. During her husband’s funeral, 561 pounds (655 euros) were collected for research on glioblastoma multiforme.
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