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The Cancers

A breakdown of the cancers suffered by patients in the McCullom Lake lawsuits:

There are five types of brain and nerve cancers diagnosed among the 22 plaintiffs suing Rohm and Haas, its subsidiary Morton International, and Modine Manufacturing Co.

Two of the cancers – glioblastoma multiforme and oligodendroglioma – come from the cells in the brain that support or protect neurons. The remaining three develop from other structures within the brain, such as nerves and blood vessels.

Primary brain cancers, meaning cancer that starts in the brain rather than metastasizing from elsewhere, occurs in about 14 people per 100,000. The World Health Organization recognizes more than 120 types of brain tumor.

• Glioblastoma multiforme is the most aggressive type of brain cancer. It spreads rapidly, and regardless of surgery and follow-up treatment, patients diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme have a less than 3 percent chance of surviving five years after diagnosis.

The disease accounts for about 26 percent of all primary brain tumors, meaning 3.4 people per 100,000 are diagnosed with it. Nine of the plaintiffs have been diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, and five have died.

• Oligodendroglioma is often benign and surgery is frequently successful, but survivors must get MRIs on a regular basis to watch if the tumor begins to grow back. Oligodendroglioma accounts for about 3 percent of all primary brain tumors, or less than 1 case per 100,000 people. Five of the plaintiffs have been diagnosed with it. None have died, but two have relapsed.

• Meningioma grows from the tissues covering the brain and spinal cord. It accounts for 27 percent of all primary brain tumors – about 3.8 cases per 100,000 people – but is benign in all but a few cases. Like oligodendroglioma, follow-up scans are required because the cancer can recur decades after treatment. Two of the plaintiffs have been diagnosed with the disease, and one has since relapsed.

• Hemangioblastoma originates in blood vessels, but commonly grows in the cerebellum. It is the rarest of the cancers in the lawsuits, accounting for about 1 percent of all brain tumors. One of the plaintiffs has been diagnosed with the disease.

• Schwannoma arises from Schwann cells, which form a protective layer around nerve fibers. The cancer most often grows from the Schwann cells of the cranial nerves responsible for hearing and balance. Surgery is the most common treatment, with care taken to remove the tumor without causing hearing loss or damaging the nerves responsible for facial movement. One of the plaintiffs has been diagnosed with the disease, which accounts for 7.5 percent of all primary brain tumors, or about 1 case per 100,000 people.

Of the remaining four plaintiffs, three have pituitary gland tumors and one has cirrhosis of unknown origin. The Illinois State Cancer Registry and the National Cancer Institute classify pituitary tumors as endocrine cancers.

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