A Battle Against Brain Tumors: Cortney’s Victory
From BestHealth, September 2007
Life has held challenges for Cortney Dover, but it’s never dampened her spirit or her desire to help others.
Diagnosed at age four with medulloblastoma, a malignant brain tumor, Cortney has been treated at Brenner Children’s Hospital and the Comprehensive Cancer Center over the past 11 years. In 1996, neurosurgeon Steven Glazier, M.D., performed a 10-hour surgery to remove the tumor.
“He was wonderful,” said Lisa Dover, Cortney’s mother. “When Cortney first arrived at the hospital, she was a very sick little girl. Dr. Glazier stayed with her until 10 or 11 p.m. the first night and the next morning did her surgery.”
Surgery was followed by extensive rounds of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. “It was a very aggressive regimen, but Cortney was at high risk for recurrence and we wanted to do everything we could to prevent the tumor’s return,” said Lisa.
She responded well and by the time she entered kindergarten was already thinking of other children. She collected bags of toys for Brenner Children’s Hospital — now an annual tradition along with her work with children in the Special Olympics.
Radiation treatment affected Cortney’s growth — she’s a diminutive 4’7” — but that has not sidelined her from activities like cheerleading.
Cortney faced a new challenge in 2004 when a routine MRI found a recurrent, inoperable tumor on her brainstem. Chemotherapy would not have been effective, but Gamma Knife was an option. Cortney successfully underwent Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery, a non-invasive brain “surgery” that targets the tumor with radiation while sparing healthy surrounding tissue. Wake Forest Baptist was the first in North Carolina to offer this technology and has a highly experienced treatment team.
“We are so fortunate to have access to a great Medical Center with cutting-edge technology,” marvelled Lisa.
Cortney now is enrolled in a clinical research trial of donepezil (Aricept®), focused on improving cognitive function, a common side effect after radiation of the brain. This study is coordinated through Pediatric Oncology, where Drs. Sharon Castellino, Kevin McMullen and Edward Shaw are evaluating issues affecting children who have had successful brain tumor therapy.
Cortney is now 15 and doing well in high school. The future looks bright for this charming young lady who has overcome enormous challenges with dignity, grace and compassion for others.
Brain Tumor Expertise
• The Brain Tumor Center offers the region’s only multidisciplinary clinical team for brain tumor treatment. Patients benefit from the highly specialized team of experts who meet regularly to review new patient cases.
• The Brain Tumor Center is part of New Approaches to Brain Tumor Therapy (NABTT), a group of nine prominent East Coast academic medical centers funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). As the only NABTT center in North Carolina, many promising treatments are offered here that are not available elsewhere in the state.
• Our Gamma Knife Center was the first in North Carolina. We are proud to have one of the nation’s most experienced treatment teams.