News Not Good on Maher Tumor

Doctors at Scripps Clinic & Research Institution in La Jolla, who on Wednesday removed most of a cancerous growth from the brain of Roman Catholic Bishop Leo T. Maher of San Diego, on Thursday upgraded the bishop’s condition to satisfactory from serious.

However, doctors also told Maher that the growth that had impaired his physical abilities is the “fastest-growing” of its type, Scripps spokeswoman Sue Pondrom said Thursday.

“It’s not real good news,” Pondrom said. “The bishop has a grade four malignant glioma. These (tumors) are graded one to four, and he’s got the fastest-growing type.”

Maher on Thursday decided to “fight this thing aggressively with radiation therapy and chemotherapy,” Pondrom said. “He’s going to begin radiation therapy in one to two weeks, and (treatment) will last four to six weeks.” Chemotherapy will begin after radiation therapy is concluded, Pondrom said.

Maher was reported to be “cheerful and in good spirits,” Pondrom said. “He’s even been out walking in the halls.”

Surgeons on Wednesday removed most of a cancerous growth from the rear of Maher’s brain during a 2 1/2-hour operation. Maher checked into Scripps on Monday, complaining of a loss of physical strength and impaired peripheral vision.

Doctors at first suspected a mild stroke, but testing revealed the tumor, which was about 3 inches in diameter.

During a Wednesday press conference, Dr. Thomas Waltz, who conducted the operation, described the tumor as life-threatening because it “would have . . . and might still continue to grow.” Waltz expressed hope that Maher’s tumor would be one of the slower-growing varieties.

However, laboratory tests completed Thursday determined that the glioma was of the fastest-growing type.

Researchers do not yet understand why the gliomas form and why some quickly return after surgery. Although many tumors might lay dormant for decades, “the more aggressive ones may come back in a few months,” Waltz said.

Doctors were unable to completely remove the growth on Wednesday because this type of tumor “infiltrates among functioning brain cells,” Waltz said.

“I don’t think he was in critical danger in terms of hours or days, but these tumors do progress and eventually cause pressure on the rest of the brain,” Waltz said Wednesday. “When that occurs, patients tend to lose consciousness.”

Doctors on Thursday were uncertain if Maher would totally regain the physical strength and peripheral vision that were damaged by the growth. However, Maher’s “mental status was good, and he was talking well” before the operation, said Dr. Donald Dalessio, a Scripps neurologist who examined Maher on Monday.