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.
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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?’”
“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.
“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.”
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.
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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