The brain cancer that killed Fox anchor Kelly Powers will increase by 72% in the coming years

A Fox News employee has died from an aggressive brain cancer that is expected to progress in the coming years.

Podiatrist Dr. Kelly Powers died last week after a four-year battle with glioblastoma, a brain cancer that kills most patients in less than a year.

The 45-year-old from New Jersey was diagnosed in 2020 and went into remission the following year — but came back more aggressive than ever earlier this year.

No one knows what causes glioblastomas, but Dr. Powers suffered from heart disease and gallstones in her 30s, two conditions that have been linked to brain cancer in some studies.

Dr. Powers is one of 10,000 Americans who die each year from glioblastoma, including Sens. John McCain and Beau Biden.

The cancer usually arises in the frontal lobe of the brain and usually affects adults over the age of 70, because age-related damage to cells makes them more susceptible to cancer-causing mutations.

However, experts have warned that glioblastoma is on the rise among all age groups, with rates expected to rise by almost three-quarters in the coming years.

Although doctors are largely unsure what’s behind the spike, radiation, pollution and exposure to chemicals such as pesticides are all suspected.

Dr. Powers began experiencing frequent headaches in 2020, when she eventually suffered a grand mal seizure, the most severe type.

In an interview with Preferred Health MagazineShe said her father found her unconscious on the floor, foaming at the mouth.

She was rushed for a CT scan, which revealed the tumor and required emergency surgery.

Dr. Powers underwent three brain surgeries, as well as chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy.

During the first surgery, doctors even told her that her surrogate mother was pregnant with her son, who is now three years old.

Dr. Powers went into remission in 2021, although the cancer returned earlier this year and the last treatment left was only available in Germany. It is unclear what type of therapy this was.

Glioblastoma is most often found in the frontal lobe, which is responsible for personality, movement, language and impulse control, among other things.

The average survival rate is only 15 months and the tumor often does not respond to traditional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation.

The cancer affects 15,000 Americans each year and kills 10,000 people, who are typically between 70 and 79 years old.

However, research in the Journal of Clinical Oncology predicts rates will rise from 10,688 in 2010 to 18,466 in 2050, an increase of 72 percent. And the team warned that predictions “could underestimate the true scale of the coming change.”

Some experts have suggested that this may be due to the increasing population of older adults, dubbed America’s “Silver Tsunami.”

For example, a report published earlier this year estimated that a record 4.1 million Americans will turn 65 this year, and that this increase will continue through 2027.

However, this does not apply to younger patients like Dr. Powers.

There is some evidence that increasing exposure to pollution and toxic chemicals may be to blame.

A 2020 studyfor example, evaluated the link between air pollution and chronic encephalitis.

The researchers found that men exposed to benzene, an industrial chemical used to make plastics and synthetic fibers, were more likely to develop brain cancers such as glioblastoma than men who had less exposure to the chemical.

Brain inflammation causes immune cells to release cytokines, which damage DNA and inhibit mechanisms designed to suppress tumors.

A study published in the journal earlier this year Medicine also suggested that glioblastomas thrive in highly inflammatory environments, because inflammation breaches the blood-brain barrier and causes the cancer to spread more quickly and become resistant to treatments.

Air pollution has also been linked to glioblastoma.

In 2019, a study found that ultrafine particles produced by burning fuel, such as when driving a car, increased the risk of brain cancer by as much as 50 percent for people in big cities like Toronto, compared to more rural areas.

There is also evidence that rising conditions such as heart disease may also be the cause.

Additionally, experts at Moffitt Cancer Center point to ionizing radiation as the culprit. This is a form of radiation used in medical imaging, such as CT scans, which have become increasingly common for diagnosing conditions in recent decades.

The experts noted that this radiation could cause breaks in DNA strands, which could reduce the risk of cancer-causing mutations.

Prior to her brain cancer diagnosis, Dr. Powers discovered in 2018 that she had gallbladder and heart disease, which required her gallbladder to be removed.

The gallbladder stores bile, a fluid produced by the liver that helps break down fats during digestion.

Conditions such as high cholesterol and obesity can cause the liver to secrete more bile than the body can dissolve, causing the bile to crystallize and form gallstones.

Gallstones can contribute to heart disease by interfering with bile acid secretion.

A recent study of more than 270,000 Americans, for example, suggested that when too much bile acid is secreted, harmful bacteria can form in the gut microbiome, promoting inflammation and plaque buildup in the arteries.

According to one study published last yearThe buildup of plaque in the arteries, which leads to heart disease, causes inflammation throughout the body, including in the brain.

The family of Dr. Powers has one GoFundMe to cover medical expenses before her death.