Supporting Young Cancer Warriors
- Ringo Starr, who rose to fame as the Beatles’ drummer in the 1960s and is now 84 years old, has just celebrated his 44th anniversary with Barbara Bach. His milestone event reminds us how one of his three children, whom he shares with his first wife, battled a brain tumor.
- Starr’s daughter Lee Starkey, 54, reportedly survived two brain tumors. Her first brain tumor journey in 1995 when she was 24 years old and the second in 2001.
- A child’s cancer diagnosis affects the entire family, so when assuming the role of a caregiver, it’s important to remember to be your child’s biggest advocate so they receive the best care possible. This includes making sure any concerning symptoms are fully and expeditiously addressed.
- Brain tumors account for 85-90% of all primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
- General symptoms of a brain tumor may include headache, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, balance problems, personality or behavior changes, seizures, drowsiness, or even coma.
Starr—who shares three children, Zak Starkey, Lee Starkey [who battled a brain tumor as a child], and Jason Starkey, with his first wife Mo Starkey, a hairdresser from Liverpool, England, whom he divorced in 1975—married his second wife on April 27, 1981.
Read MoreRingo and Barbara connected on set of the film Caveman after meeting at LAX, hit it off, and then got married in 1981.
As for what has kept them strong all these years? They told People in an interview earlier this year that there is “no” secret, explaining, “There’s up-and-down days, and sometimes I’m really stupid, and then we get over it.”
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Back in 2015, Starr also spoke with People, saying it wouldn’t ever be possible to “escape” his love for Bach.
He insisted, ” I think I love Barbara as much [today] as I did at LAX … and I’m beyond blessed that she loves me and we’re still together.”
Bach also said at the time, “I love the man, and that’s it.”
The “peace and love” rocker, who appears to be aging well, previously offered insight into his healthy lifestyle to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
He told the news outlet in in 2023, “I watch what I eat. I’ve been vegetarian for the last 25 years. I think it’s important and I’m always promoting proper eating.
“I go to the gym. I have a trainer who comes to my home three times a week. And I (work out) myself. On tour, usually I go at least four mornings a week to the gym. So, I think you’ve just got to keep moving and eating right. I do the best I can.”
As for his health history, his appendix burst when he was 6, then in his teens, the Liverpool native contracted tuberculosis, a disease caused by bacteria that affect the lungs. Starr spent two years in a hospital.
Lee Starkey’s Brain Tumor Battle
According to IMBD, Lee Starkey, who is now 54 years old, survived two brain tumors. Her first brain tumor journey in 1995 when she was 24 years old and the second in 2001.
In both cases, she was diagnosed with an ependymoma, a rare primary central nervous system (CNS) tumor, meaning it began in the brain or spinal cord.
Starkey was first diagnosed with a brain tumor after collapsing in England, prompting her to be taken to a nearby hospital, her biography on IMBD explains.
“She had previously had numbness in her leg and arm, however luckily, the tumor was curable. She was transferred to a hospital in the United States to continue on with her treatments. Within three weeks she was undergoing a second operation at Brigham Women’s Hospital, Boston, and this time for a tumor. She was then given radiation treatment,” IMBD states.
By 2001, the tumor came back and more treatment was needed. However, she has since been given the all clear/
Starkey reportedly works as a make up artist and fashion designer, and is mom to triplets.
According to the National Cancer Institute, “Ependymomas occur in both children and adults. Those in the lower half of the brain (‘posterior fossa’) are more common among children. Those in the spine are more common among adults.
“Ependymomas occur more often in males than females. They are most common in non-Hispanic white people. An estimated 19,340 people are living with this tumor in the United States.”
Additionally, “The first treatment for an ependymoma is surgery, if possible. The goal of surgery is to obtain tissue to determine the tumor type and remove as much tumor as possible without causing more symptoms.
“Many people won’t need additional treatment after surgery. For those that do, these treatments may include radiation, chemotherapy or clinical trials.”
Supporting Your Young Cancer Warrior
Remember, advocating for your and your child’s health is essential to getting the necessary care before a condition worsens. Some cancers can have subtle symptoms, so don’t delay seeing your doctor.
Family members caring for a child diagnosed with cancer can be stressful. Family support not only eases the anxiety of the cancer patient, but the added support also helps their loved ones.
Caregivers of cancer warriors must also watch out for “caregiver burnout,” where stress, anger, fatigue, and illness emerge from putting another person’s needs ahead of yours.
Caregivers who struggle to care for a cancer warrior should seek out a therapist or a support group, either online or in person.
As parents navigate the cancer journey with their young cancer warriors, it’s important to remember children’s bodies may react differently to treatments than adults because their bodies are still growing.
“They may receive more intense treatments…and they may respond differently to drugs that control symptoms in adults,” according to the National Cancer Institute, so it’s important to ask plenty of questions to doctors throughout the cancer journey.
Understanding Brain Tumors
It’s helpful to understand that brain tumors account for 85-90% of all primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
The central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord and acts as the main “processing center” for the body’s nervous system. The normal function of the brain and spinal cord can become difficult if there’s a tumor putting pressure on or spreading into normal tissue close by.
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There are many different types of brain and spinal cord tumors and some of which are more likely to spread into nearby parts of the brain or spinal cord than others. Slow-growing tumors may be considered benign, however, even these types of tumors can lead to serious problems.
Meanwhile, symptoms of brain tumors, as a whole, are usually caused by increased pressure in the skull. This pressure can stem from tumor growth, swelling in the brain, or blockage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the American Cancer Society explains.
General symptoms may include:
- Headache
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Blurred vision
- Balance problems
- Personality or behavior changes
- Seizures
- Drowsiness or even coma
Additionally, MD Anderson Cancer Center notes that changes in the ability to smell can also be a sign of brain tumors, and, more specifically, “strange smells” can be a symptom of seizures, which can result from brain tumors.
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It’s important to note that these symptoms are not exclusive to brain tumors. Still, you should always speak with your doctor if you’re experiencing any health problems.
Meanwhile, treatment options for brain cancer depend on a variety of factors, including the size and type of the tumor as well as the grade of the tumor.
Surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy are options doctors use to treat brain tumors. Cancer warriors are encouraged to talk to their doctor about their situation and the best treatment options.
Understanding Gliomas
There are various types of brain cancers and tumors that someone may be diagnosed with, so it’s important to understand that a glioma is a tumor originating in the central nervous system (CNS), specifically in the brain or spinal cord. A glioma originates in glial cells. Glial cells are supportive cells in the brain that protect and maintain the neurons. These types of tumors can either be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
“Glioma is a broad term that refers to a whole range of different types of primary brain tumors,” Dr. Alexandra Miller, Director of the Neuro-Oncologist Division at NYU Langone Health, tells SurvivorNet.
“They’re tumors that originate in the brain and very rarely spread outside the brain to other parts of the body,” Dr. Miller continued.
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive and lethal form of primary brain tumor. Classified as a Grade 4 glioma by the World Health Organization (WHO), glioblastoma presents significant challenges for treatment due to its highly invasive nature, rapid growth, and resistance to most conventional therapies.
WATCH: Understanding Gliomas
According to the National Cancer Institute, the average survival rate is 15 months with treatment and less than six if left untreated. While there is a five-year survival rate of averaging 6 percent, those individuals will never be cancer-free. They must continue receiving radiation and chemotherapy for the rest of their lives.
Clinical trials help doctors better understand cancer and discover more effective treatment methods. They also allow patients to try a treatment before it’s approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which can potentially be life-changing.
WATCH: Clinical Trials can be Life-Saving
Within the U.S., all new drugs must go through clinical trials before the FDA approves them. Although the rewards of clinical trials can be great, they also come with risks. Talking to your doctor about this before enrolling in a trial is important.
Glioblastoma Risk Factors and Symptoms
Glioblastoma risk factors can include:
- Prior radiation exposure
- Gender: men are more likely to get glioblastoma than women
- Age: people 50 years or older
- Certain genetic syndromes, including neurofibromatosis, tuberous sclerosis, von Hippel-Lindau disease
Common symptoms of glioblastoma can include:
- Headaches
- Seizures
- 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
Treatment Options for Gliomas
“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. Henry Friedman, Deputy Director of the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke, tells SurvivorNet.
WATCH: Glioma Treatment Options
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, Director of the Neuro-Oncology Division at NYU Langone Health, tells SurvivorNet that Vorasidenib is a “huge breakthrough for people with IDH mutant tumors.”
WATCH: Vorasidenib for IDH Mutant Gliomas
“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.
Ongoing Research Offers Hope
Fortunately, research is ongoing to improve the prognosis for people battling glioblastoma. One area of promise is tumor-treating fields, which can help extend patients’ lives by two years on average, giving them hope.
Optune, the brand name for the tumor-treating field delivery device, was launched in 2011 and approved by the FDA in 2015. It is a wearable and portable device for glioblastoma treatment for adult patients aged 22 years or older.
“There’s been a very exciting development of tumor treating fields, which are electrical fields that have been applied to the brain,” Dr. Suriya Jeyapalan, a neurologist at Tufts Medical Center, previously told Survivor Net.
TTFields use low-intensity electric fields to disrupt the cell division process, making it harder for cancerous cells to multiply.
WATCH: Using electric sources to improve glioblastoma treatment.
Despite Optune’s hope, not all cancer experts agree with its approach, including Dr. Friedman.
“Although the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recognizes Optune within its guidelines as a therapy for glioblastoma, many people don’t believe it adds value. At Duke, for example, we don’t consider it a mainstay of therapy,” Dr. Friedman said.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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