Rare brain tumor found in Austin woman

AUSTIN (KXAN) - An Austin woman recently received life saving surgery at St. David's after a rare tumor was found in her brain.

The tumor is so rare there have only been 400 documented cases in adults in the last 30 years.

When someone looks at Charlotte Brandt they would think she's a healthy 22 year old hanging out with friends and working. But in May she started to get headaches.

"The way it would feel, the best way I can describe it as someone squeezing my brain and then slowly letting go," said Brandt.

Medicine didn't work and she hoped for four months the pain would just go away - it didn't.

"Headaches are a common thing," said Dr. Mark Burnett, Neurosurgeon with the NeuroTexas Institute at St. David's. "They are the number one and number two reason to visit an emergency room in the United States. But young people with headaches that are persistent and progressive mean they get worse and worse over time are never normal."

After a trip to the emergency room, a tumor was found on the back of her head near the spine. That's when Charlotte ended up in surgery with the NeuroTexas Institute at St. David's.

"So Charlotte has a rare tumor called medulloblastoma which is actually common in children," said Dr. Burnett.

Common in children under 10 years old. But so rare for adults that there are only 15 documented cases a year in the U.S. - making it a little more tricky to treat.

"The standard is the same at first is the tumor has to be removed completely, but after that whether these patients need chemotherapy or both is something that is still under investigation," said Dr. Burnett.

Charlotte was lucky and surgeons were able to remove the entire tumor - and she's feeling like her old self just in time for the holidays. Now she's in for a year of chemotherapy and radiation.

"After all this is done I'm done with it and I can go back to being me and continuing my life," said Brandt.

And chances are she won't ignore a persistent headache again.

Doctors at St. David's said this type of tumor was the 2nd case ever treated in Austin.