Health
Michael Bolton had strange symptoms before brain cancer diagnosis: ‘Something’s wrong’
‘My dog detected my cancer before doctors did’
Breanna Bortner’s dog, Mochi, began fixating on her breast before she was diagnosed with stage 2B triple-negative breast cancer, showing unusual and intuitive behavior throughout her journey.
A Grammy-winning singer and his family have revealed the surprising early symptoms of his brain cancer.
Michael Bolton, who was diagnosed in December 2023 with glioblastoma — the most aggressive and fastest-growing form of brain cancer — first exhibited signs that something was amiss the month prior, according to his daughters.
During a family night at the bowling alley, Bolton, 72, bowled out of turn several times, they told People during a recent interview.
MICHAEL BOLTON’S BRAIN CANCER TREATMENTS HAVE HARSH SIDE EFFECTS, BUT SUCCUMBING IS ‘NOT AN OPTION’
That same night, the singer had also fallen out of his chair, which was “very unusual,” Taryn, 45, told the outlet.
“He’s super athletic, and he doesn’t drink,” she said. “So he fell, and we were like, ‘What just happened?’”
Michael Bolton is pictured during a press conference in Mexico City on June 5, 2023, a few months before his brain cancer diagnosis. (Getty Images)
“That was when we were like, ‘Something’s wrong with his brain.”
Looking back now, Bolton’s daughters recognize “so many things” they missed.
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Earlier that fall, the Grammy winner had struggled to keep his balance and experienced nausea while performing at a charity event.
His daughters had assumed the strange symptoms were due to lack of sleep or excess stress, they said.
“He’d been working nonstop that whole time,” Taryn recalled while speaking to People.
“It is truly among the most tragic diseases.”
“Traveling, doing shows, doing all of these things. We were like, he’s getting older, he’s tired, he’s stressed out. All of these things we sort of explained in a way, one by one.”
Following the strange symptoms while bowling, Bolton began experiencing headaches, his daughters shared.
The following Monday, he received an MRI that detected a brain tumor, which was removed surgically and found to be glioblastoma.
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While rare, glioblastoma is known for affecting people across all ages and for its fast, aggressive development, according to Michael Canney Ph.D., chief scientific officer of Carthera, a Colorado health tech company that develops medical devices to treat severe brain disorders.
“Although glioblastoma’s cause isn’t fully known, the disease begins when genetic changes in brain cells cause them to grow out of control,” Canney, who was not involved in Bolton’s care, told Fox News Digital.
Michael Bolton performs on stage during Starlite Occident 2023 at Cantera de Nagüeles on June 30, 2023, in Malaga, Spain. A few months later, he would undergo surgery to remove a glioblastoma brain tumor. (Getty Images)
“These cancerous cells rapidly invade surrounding brain tissue, making the tumor especially aggressive and hard to treat.”
Canney confirmed that the symptoms Bolton experienced — confusion, sudden falls and severe headaches — are consistent with glioblastoma warning signs.
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“Other potential red flags include nausea, memory loss, personality changes, speech difficulties and vision changes,” he added.
“While the symptoms of glioblastoma are not unique to this disease, anytime you or a loved one experience an unexplained change in behavior, mental awareness or motor control, it’s important to see a medical professional.”
Michael Bolton is pictured during the 32nd annual Grammy Awards at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Feb. 21, 1990. (Getty Images)
After surgery, Bolton completed radiation and chemotherapy, which have so far kept cancer at bay, the report noted.
He receives ongoing MRIs every two months to ensure that he is still clear of tumors.
Treatment and prognosis
Glioblastoma is among the deadliest cancers, with patients living for an average of just over a year after diagnosis. The five-year survival rate is less than 5%.
“It is truly among the most tragic diseases,” Canney said.
“A number of clinical trials are underway that give us an immense sense of hope.”
Part of what makes glioblastoma so severe is its resistance to treatment, according to the expert.
“Around your brain, there’s a natural protective barrier called the blood-brain barrier,” he told Fox News Digital.
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“While this barrier keeps the brain safe from toxins and other harmful substances, it also blocks the life-saving chemotherapy drugs used in treating most cancers.”
In some cases, including Bolton’s, glioblastoma treatment can begin with surgery to remove the tumor, provided it has not grown too deeply into the brain, Canney said.
Glioblastoma is among the deadliest cancers, with patients living for an average of just over a year after diagnosis. (iStock)
Other treatment options include radiation and chemotherapy, which can “modestly extend survival,” he noted.
“Although current treatment options are limited, a number of clinical trials are underway that give us an immense sense of hope,” Canney said, pointing out a new form of ultrasound-based technology that is showing promise.
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“If approved, this technology will enable doctors to safely and temporarily open the blood-brain barrier for the first time ever — allowing a greater number of potentially more effective chemotherapy drugs into the brain.”
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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