‘Frank’ the tumor surgery successful
CNN.com
February 3, 2005
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) — A 9-year-old boy successfully
underwent surgery Wednesday to remove most of a brain tumor he
nicknamed “Frank,” and which was the subject of an online auction to
help raise money for medical bills.
“It really went very well. I’m thrilled,” said Dr. Hrayr Shahinian,
who performed the surgery at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s Skull
Base Institute in Los Angeles.
Cells from the tumor, which had been treated with chemotherapy and
radiation, will now be studied to determine if it is malignant.
David Dingman-Grover, of Sterling, Virginia., went into surgery around
10 a.m. at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said Frank Groff, spokesman
for the Institute. A little more than two hours later, he was awake
and talking, Shahinian said.
Shahinian said David’s oncologists must now decide whether to give him
one more round of chemotherapy. “We have to sit tight and wait to see
… is Frank dead?” he said.
The doctor said he was able to remove nearly all the tumor, but that
some scar tissue in the area may still contain traces of it. He said
David would likely be discharged Thursday.
The boy was diagnosed in 2003 with embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. A
grapefruit-sized tumor was impinging on his optic nerves and carotid
arteries, causing blindness and headaches.
The size and location of the tumor made it impossible for doctors to
take out, according to his mother’s ad on eBay.
Chemotherapy and radiation shrank it to the size of a peach pit,
restoring his vision, but there were side effects. For a while he
couldn’t walk or eat and had to be fed through a tube, his mother
said.
David named his tumor after Frankenstein’s monster, who scared him
until he dressed up as the fictional character for Halloween. His
parents auctioned off a bumper sticker reading “Frank Must Die” on
eBay to raise money for his treatment.