Searching Out Options for Brain Tumor Treatment: WFUBMC leads the way toward hope
A grand mal seizure was Don Dulle’s first, shocking symptom of the malignant brain tumor that would bring him to North Carolina for advanced treatment.
from BestHealth, November 2006
The year 2000 ended with life-altering events for Don Dulle, a young attorney from Dayton, Ohio. In a single day, the joy of his upcoming wedding to the love-of-his-life, Jamie, was overshadowed by the discovery that he had a life-threatening disease.
Dulle was driving to work in early December when he had a grand mal seizure—his first ever—which resulted in a traffic accident. He underwent emergency surgery for his injuries. Over the next two days he had 14 more seizures.
Doctors in Ohio diagnosed a “mixed grade” malignant brain tumor but were uncertain how to treat it.
Don and Jamie decided to go through with their wedding plans and were married on December 31.
In January, Jamie searched the Internet for National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers with expertise in brain tumors. That’s where they found Edward G. Shaw, M.D., chairman of radiation oncology at the Comprehensive Cancer Center, an internationally recognized specialist in treating brain tumors in young people, and one of the leaders of Wake Forest Baptist’s Brain Tumor Center.
They came to the Brain Tumor Center in February and instantly felt at home. “We loved Dr. Shaw, the staff and everything about the hospital,” said Dulle. “I knew the experts here would offer me the best opportunity to beat this cancer.”
He underwent three months of radiation therapy and was later enrolled in a research study evaluating the use of a drug, Aricept, to improve memory after tumor surgery and radiation therapy.
Following treatment, he was monitored every three months. An MRI scan in January 2005 detected an abnormality. Further tests confirmed the cancer had returned in a more aggressive form.
Neurosurgeon Stephen Tatter, M.D., Ph.D., performed surgery and Dulle underwent 12 months of chemotherapy under the direction of Glenn Lesser, M.D. He also participated in another research trial studying the effects of chemotherapy on fertility.
“That’s the beauty of being treated at a comprehensive cancer center,” said Shaw. “Not only do our patients have access to the latest technologies and treatments, but they also have the opportunity to participate in research studies that are not available elsewhere.”
Dulle is currently cancer-free, back at his job as a district attorney, and cherishing every moment of his life.
While it is known that radiation therapy and chemotherapy can affect fertility, the biggest miracle of all for the Dulles is that Jamie became pregnant just before Don’s surgery. Boston Edward (named for Dr. Edward Shaw) was born on January 16, 2006.
The Brain Tumor Center of Excellence
• The Brain Tumor Center of Excellence within the Comprehensive Cancer Center is a nationally recognized, multidisciplinary collaboration that provides entrée to a broad array of appropriate clinical trials for adults and children with tumors of the brain and spinal cord.
• The Center is focusing its research on three promising areas: novel therapies, brain tumor vaccines and the problem of treatment-induced brain injury.
• Wake Forest Baptist is a member of New Approaches to Brain Tumor Therapy (NABTT), a clinical trials consortium of nine leading East Coast academic medical centers (including Johns Hopkins, Cleveland Clinic and the University of Pennsylvania). Funded by the National Cancer Institute, membership allows brain tumor patients here access to research using the most innovative therapies available in the world.