Jerome Harrison's brain tumor: What's ahead for NFL player?
(CBS) Brain tumor diagnoses often seem to come out of the blue - and that was the case for NFL player Jerome Harrison.
The 28-year-old running back was traded from the Detroit Lions to the Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday, but the trade was voided a day later when he failed his physical with his new team once Eagles' doctors made the discovery, ESPN reported.
The shocking discovery of the tumor had some looking for a silver lining.
"Without trade, Jerome Harrison doesn't get physical. Without physical, doctors don't find brain tumor. Trade might have saved his life," ESPN's football analyst, Adam Schefter, tweeted.
The bad news is he is apparently out for the season. The good news is that the tumor is not considered to be life-threatening and he is currently being treated. His long-term prognosis both in and out of football are good, ESPN reported.
What lies ahead for Harrison?
It's not clear, but brain tumors are typically treated by surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, depending on the tumor's size and whether it is cancerous. The type of tumor Harrison has was not disclosed publicly.
Early treatment improves the chances of a good outcome, according to the NIH.
Symptoms of brain tumors include headaches, weakness in one part of the body, seizures, changes in hearing, taste, smell, or balance, memory loss, tremors, or eye abnormalities like drooping eyelids. People experiencing any of these symptoms should see a doctor. A doctor may use a diagnostic scan like a CT scan, MRI, or EEG, to diagnose a brain tumor.
Nearly 65,000 brain tumors are expected to be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2011, according to the American Brain Tumor Association. Nearly 25,000 of those are expected to be malignant.
The American Brain Tumor Association has more.
