On Monday, The Wanted singer Tom Parker shared on Instagram that he has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. The 32-year-old wrote that he is currently undergoing treatment for a grade four glioblastoma tumor, which his doctors described as the "worst-case scenario" and terminal.
In an interview with Britain's OK! Magazine, Parker revealed that the tumor was "inoperable" but that he would continue to fight it. The singer is currently expecting his second child with his wife Kelsey Hardwick. The couple were married in 2018 and had a daughter last year. This past June, they announced that they were expecting a boy in November.
The Wanted, a British boy band, went on hiatus in 2014 to pursue solo projects. The group had 10 UK top 10 singles and three UK top 10 albums. The band has sold over 10 million records. In 2015, Parker released a solo single titled "Undiscovered," and in 2017, he was cast in the UK tour of Grease as Danny Zuko.
After hearing about Parker’s diagnosis, his former boy bandmate, Max George, showed his support on Instagram, writing, “Speaking as a brother, a friend and a bandmate. I know that you will conquer this as you have every other challenge you have ever faced. We are all on this journey together."
According to MD Anderson Cancer Center, glioblastomas are the most aggressive brain tumors as they spread into other parts of the brain quickly, though they don't metastasize outside of the brain. Common symptoms include headaches, nausea, vomiting and seizures, as well as, subtle personality changes, memory loss, muscle weakness and disturbances in speech and language.
Although glioblastomas are not surgically curable, there is evidence that the more tumor that can be removed, the better the outcome. Radiation and chemotherapy are usually used to delay tumor progression. The median survival time with glioblastoma is 15 to 16 months in patients who receive surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment, though some patients may survive up to five years or longer.
Source: ETOnline