Theo Burrell, 38, known from “Antiques Roadshow,” is defying the odds after a stage 4 glioblastoma diagnosis—an aggressive brain cancer with a median survival of just 14 months.
Now more than three years into her journey, Burrell is undergoing multi-cycle chemotherapy and candidly shares the toll it’s taken: “It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.” Occasional seizures have been an ongoing struggle for Burrell.
Seizures are a common challenge for glioma patients—affecting up to 70%—and Burrell’s experience reflects the neurological burden many face during treatment.
New IDH-targeted drugs like vorasidenib are showing promise in reducing seizure frequency and improving quality of life for patients with IDH-mutant gliomas, according to Dr. Katherine Peters of Duke Health.
Experts emphasize that seizure management should be personalized—antiseizure medications are recommended only for those with a history of seizures, and safety strategies like seizure diaries and medication reminders are key.
At just 38 years old, Theo Burrell—known to many as a beloved expert on “Antiques Roadshow”—is facing one of the toughest diagnoses imaginable: glioblastoma, an aggressive and often unforgiving form of brain cancer that has a median overall survival of 14 months according to research published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Reports of Practical Oncology and Radiotherapy.” However, Burrell isn’t backing down and instead doubling down on defying the odds by pushing through treatment with determination and hope.
Currently undergoing chemotherapy, Burrell has been candid about the toll it’s taken.
“I finished cycle 11 of chemo. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done—swallowing tablets has never been my strong point,” she shared on Instagram. “Mentally and physically, I am definitely feeling it’s been a long 10 months of treatment.”
In addition to the grueling chemo regimen, Burrell is also navigating seizures—one of the many symptoms that can accompany brain tumors. Patients with glioma often face a range of neurological challenges, including headaches, speech changes, and vision problems. For Burrell, the journey has been anything but easy.
While specific details about her tumor and treatment plan remain private, her experience reflects a broader reality: nearly 70% of glioma patients experience seizures. However, emerging therapies like IDH-targeted drugs—vorasidenib and ivosidenib—are showing promise in improving seizure control for patients with IDH-mutant gliomas.
“Patients with mutant IDH glioma that took vorasidenib, an IDH inhibitor, in the INDIGO clinical trial had an extended progression-free survival when compared to patients who were on placebo,” explains Dr. Katherine Peters of Duke Health in an interview with SurvivorNet.
“They found that patients who were on vorasidenib experienced much fewer seizures than patients on placebo. This observation is exciting since the drug is impacting not only the tumor growth and size but also the neurological function and quality of life of the patients by decreasing seizure frequency,” Dr. Peters continued.
Burrell, now more than three years into her cancer journey, continues to share glimpses of her strength and optimism. Earlier this summer, she revealed she was undergoing a multi-cycle chemotherapy regimen. Through it all, she remains grounded in gratitude and advocacy, drawing strength from her family and her growing community of supporters.
“Today is a new day, and the sun is shining. One day at a time,” she wrote—a quiet but powerful reminder of the resilience that defines her fight.
If you are someone who loves someone living with a brain tumor, you may be wondering, Why do seizures occur in the first place?
The brain has specific connections between its cells, so whenever we give our brain a command, consciously or not, the impulse needs to travel through the correct prespecified “path” to culminate in doing what we want. However, if in the middle of the path this impulse encounters any obstacle, such as a brain tumor or swelling (edema), it will be precluded from moving forward, and the energy (impulse) will dissipate or even evoke new waves of energy that can lead to a disarrangement in all of the other “paths”. To this dissipation or activation in unwanted areas, we call “seizures”.
WATCH: Vorasidenib for IDH Mutant Gliomas
“The IDH mutation drives gliomagenesis [tumor formation] in IDH mutant tumors, so it is key in the process of the tumor starting and continuing to grow. In addition, the IDH mutation results in the formation and secretion of 2-hydroxy-glutarate (2-HG), which interacts with nearby nerve cells and is stimulatory to Glutamate Receptors on those nerves. The extra stimulation of the Glutamate Receptors is part of the mechanism for seizure activity in the brain tissue around the tumor”, explains Dr Herbert B. Newton, Neuro-Oncology Medical Director of the Brain Tumor Center at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center.
This is the reason why patients with brain tumors can primarily present with seizures or have them during the course of the disease. Thus, you should always watch for it. Even though it is common during the initial presentation or even during the treatment course, not all patients will have it.
With modern and targeted therapy that has been available for patients diagnosed with glioma in recent years, they can not only have a better prognosis, but also they can have substantial improvement in disease-related symptoms. Some medicines have clearer seizure benefits than others.
Do I Need Treatment to Prevent Seizures?
This is an important step in the management of patients with brain tumors. Antiseizure medication therapy is indicated only for patients who have experienced a seizure and for those who have a history suggestive of previously unreported or unrecognized seizure activity due to a brain tumor.
On the other hand, prophylactic antiseizure medications are generally not recommended for patients with a primary or metastatic brain tumor without a history of antecedent seizure.
Whether you need an anti-seizure medication should be extensively discussed by your healthcare team to offer you the best approach.
Importantly, never change seizure medication dose or frequency without advising your doctor. This action can precipitate seizure recurrence.
Tips For Day-To-Day Seizure Safety
Keep a seizure diary: Note date/time, length, triggers, and any missed doses.
Awareness: make sure that your loved ones and people who live close to you are aware of your condition so they can properly help you in an emergency.
Take medicines on time. Use reminders (mobile App) or a pill organizer.
Sleep and hydration help; limit alcohol and avoid recreational drugs.
Driving & safety: Follow local laws about driving after seizures. Use extra caution with heights, water (showers > baths), and heated appliances.
Understanding Burrell’s Glioblastoma Diagnosis
Diagnosing gliomas involves a multi-step approach that includes clinical assessment, imaging studies, histopathological examination, and molecular testing.
As patients are diagnosed, they’re observed for typical glioma symptoms. These may include:
Headaches
Seizures
Cognitive or Behavioral Changes
Visual or Speech Changes and Impairments
Loss of Body Weight and Deconditioning
Changes in mental function, mood, or personality
Changes in speech
Sensory changes in hearing, smell, and sight
Loss of balance
Changes in your pulse and breathing rate
During the clinical assessment, the physician will take a detailed history, focusing on the onset and progression of symptoms. Since gliomas can present with non-specific symptoms that overlap with other neurological conditions, ruling out conditions like stroke, infections, or inflammatory disorders is essential during the initial clinical evaluation.
Patients then undergo a neurological exam that tests cranial nerve function, motor strength and coordination, sensory function, and cognitive abilities.
Next, patients undergo an MRI, which provides doctors with a visualization of the tumor.
“If you’re suspected of having a tumor on imaging and our neurosurgeons think that tumor can come out, they will take a piece of that tumor out first and confirm in the operating room and with our pathologists that, in fact, what they are looking at is a tumor,” Dr. Alexandra Miller, Director of the Neuro-Oncologist Division at NYU Langone Health, tells SurvivorNet. “And if it is, they resect it at that time. It’s not usually a two-step procedure.”
If surgery cannot be performed due to tumor location or patient-specific factors, a less invasive stereotactic biopsy can be obtained. Once the tissue sample is obtained, it’s examined under a microscope for molecular testing. At this stage, the tumor is given a grade, which determines how aggressive it is.
WATCH: Molecular testing for glioma patients
Grade I-II gliomas – These are considered low-grade and tend to grow slowly. “The grade one is a very indolent, benign tumor that can be cured with surgery alone,” Dr. Henry Friedman, Deputy Director of the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke, tells SurvivorNet.
Grade III gliomas—These are considered high-grade and tend to grow more rapidly. They are typically classified as malignant and require more aggressive treatment, which can include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
Grade IV gliomas – These are the most aggressive gliomas, which are locally aggressive and require treatment intensification. Glioblastomas are the most common grade IV glioma, “which is by far the most well-known and feared tumor in the lay population and, quite frankly, the medical population,” Dr. Friedman explains.
How Are Gliomas Treated?
Burrell has already undergone surgery to remove her tumor, followed by chemotherapy and radiation, which helped extract the remaining bits of the cancer that surgery could not remove. Specific details of her ongoing treatment remain unclear at this time. However, the route she took early on is typical for glioblastoma treatment.
“The first step is always the neurosurgery. How much can you take out? Is it safe to do surgery? Do you have to rely on a biopsy? Can you even do a biopsy?” Dr. Friedman tells SurvivorNet.
The main treatment options are:
Observation—Some benign, small, and without symptoms of gliomas or tumors located in inoperable locations can be recommended for observation. Surgery is often the first-line treatment for gliomas, with the goal of achieving maximal safe resection, where the largest amount of tumor is removed without causing significant neurologic deficits. For low-grade gliomas, surgery alone can sometimes be curative. After surgery, pathologists examine the tumor tissue to understand its features and molecular makeup. This added step helps doctors outline an appropriate treatment.
“We go through a very elaborate process of diagnostics, which includes looking at it under the microscope through our pathology team,” Dr. Friedman explained to SurvivorNet.
WATCH: The Role of Surgery in Treating Gliomas
Radiation and chemotherapy are often needed after surgery because removing the tumor completely is usually not possible due to the tumor’s ability to spread into surrounding brain tissue.
Radiation therapy uses high–energy X–rays to target and kill tumor cells. It is often used after surgery to target residual tumor cells. Chemotherapy – These medications kill or slow the growth of cancer cells. Chemotherapy can be used alongside radiation or following radiation and is often used in higher-grade tumors.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved some drug treatments, including temozolomide (Temodar), to help patients with this aggressive disease. Temozolomide is a chemotherapy drug patients can take after surgery and radiation therapy.
Targeted therapy and immunotherapy are newer treatments designed to target specific genetic mutations in the tumor or to stimulate the immune system to fight the cancer. Their role in the treatment of gliomas is continuing to evolve.
Other FDA-approved drugs for treating glioblastoma include lomustine (Gleostine), intravenous carmustine (Bicnu), carmustine wafer implants, and Avastin (bevacizumab).
Avastin is a targeted drug therapy that blocks glioblastoma cells from requesting new blood vessels that feed and allow the tumor to grow.
The FDA approved Vorasidenib, an IDH inhibitor. It works by blocking the mutated enzyme, slowing tumor growth, and extending the time before disease progression. IDH mutant gliomas tend to grow more slowly and have a better prognosis than IDH wild-type gliomas.
Dr. Alexandra Miller tells SurvivorNet that Vorasidenib is a “huge breakthrough for people with IDH mutant tumors.”
“What I tell my patients is that we have these effective treatments, but what they do is they delay the time to when this tumor comes back. Only in exceptional circumstances would we ever talk about getting rid of one of these cancers, a few,” Dr. Daniel Wahl, professor of radiation and oncology at the University of Michigan, tells SurvivorNet.
Burrell’s Cancer Journey
Burrell’s cancer journey began in 2022 when she was diagnosed with glioblastoma.
“Receiving my diagnosis, at the age of 35, when my son was one year old, was devastating,” Burrell previously told U.K.-based news outlet The Sun.
Burrell is among the team of experts that appeared on the popular television show that comes from auction houses. She appeared on the British version of the show, which tours throughout the U.K., valuing various treasures and trinkets. She has been a part of the show since 2018.
Theo Burrell has been diagnosed with glioblastoma.
However, she says things changed seemingly in a flash after her diagnosis.
“Overnight, everything had changed. Suddenly, I’d gone from being a healthy person in the middle of my life with a new baby to having incurable cancer with maybe only a year or two left to live,” Burrell said.
After being diagnosed, Burrell said she immediately underwent surgery to remove the tumor. She also had chemotherapy and radiation. She said in a recent interview since her diagnosis, she’s gone through the rigors of treatment.
“I’ve lost my hair, I’m no longer allowed to drive, and no longer able to work,” she said.
“What followed was months of surgery and treatment to try and prolong my life, and … I continue to make the best of each day,” Burrell added, saying she’s “doing quite well.”
Since her diagnosis, Burrell has become a brain cancer advocate and is focusing on the positive.
Questions for Your Doctor
If you have been diagnosed with glioblastoma, here are some questions you may consider asking your doctor:
What stage is my brain cancer?
What are the treatment options for my brain cancer?
Am I a good candidate for temozolomide?
Am I a good candidate for Optune?
What are the risks and benefits of the recommended treatment?
What are the side effects of the recommended treatment?
How long will it take to recover from treatment, and will I be able to return to work and normal activities?
What’s the likelihood that insurance will cover the recommended treatment
