Children with tumors??

Q: I have a friend with a 11 year son with a brain stem tumor and now his 5 year old has a pancreatic tumor. I am offering to check environmental issues. Are there any other thoughts. thanks Wm Lee MD

A1: Dear Dr. Lee:

I have three kids in a space of 6 weeks with brain tumors, a 12 yo with a brain stem glioma, the others with astrocytomas at various stages. It's important to identify the endocrino-metabolic factors that manage the growth of the cancer. Typically, TRH plays an important role here, and you will see this with an elevated CA 15-3 level, which implicated a role for the pancreas as well. Read more...