Busy Philipps Shares Rare Brain Tumor Diagnosis

Busy Philipps recently opened up about her diagnosis with a rare brain tumor. In a conversation with People magazine, the 47-year-old ‘Cougar Town’ actress recounted the shocking moment her doctor informed her about the tumor. This news came a day after her ‘Dawson’s Creek’ co-star, James Van Der Beek, passed away from colorectal cancer.

Philipps shared that her neurologist, Dr. Devinsky, was straightforward, saying, ‘I’m just going to say this to you the way I would want someone to say it to me.’ She described feeling like the wind was knocked out of her and realized she needed to sit down.

Dr. Devinsky told her, ‘This is a real tumor inside your brain, and it’s got to come out.’ Following this revelation, she consulted Dr. John Golfinos at NYU Langone, who performed a five-hour surgery on March 2 to remove a 2.6-centimeter mass from her brain.

After biopsy, the tumor was identified as a grade 2 oligodendroglioma, a rare tumor affecting between 1,100 and 1,300 people annually in the United States. According to Dr. Alexandra Miller, Philipps’s neuro-oncologist, this type of tumor is considered malignant but offers the best prognosis among malignant gliomas. The tumor is classified as cancerous due to its potential to regrow.

Philipps had initially discussed getting a Prenuvo scan with her cousin’s husband, a doctor, who supported her decision despite her primary care doctor’s earlier advice against it. The scan detected a lesion, prompting further examination with an MRI. Dr. Devinsky confirmed it was a tumor that required removal.

According to Dr. Golfinos, early detection significantly facilitated the surgery. If discovered later, the tumor might have been much larger. Following recovery, Philipps faced another operation due to a staphylococcus infection at her incision site, which reset her recovery progress.

Despite these health challenges, Philipps filmed ‘Cupertino’, a legal drama where she portrays the ex-wife of an AI billionaire financing a new law firm. Currently, she does not require chemotherapy or radiation but will undergo regular scans to monitor for recurrence.

Philipps emphasized the importance of trusting her instincts, noting, ‘We are frequently told by doctors that there is nothing to worry about when you kind of know there’s something to worry about. There’s nothing to be afraid of in having information. It’s only empowering.’