Aggressive brain tumour caused woman to believe she had spoken to the Virgin Mary

A 60-year-old woman's brain tumour caused her to suddenly become obsessed about religion.

The unidentified patient, from Spain, was found to have an aggressive form of cancer after complaining of unusual symptoms.

Not only was she reporting signs of depression - typical with a brain tumour, but she believed she was in contact with the Virgin Mary, it is reported.

In a case report published in the journal Neurocase, it explained how the woman was not overly religious.

However, those around her began to notice a slight change in her personality, LiveScience reports.

Not only did she succumb to sadness, but she began to show a degree of interest in the Bible.

Her condition then escalated and she began to spend significant portions of her day reciting religious text.

According to the researchers, from the Hospital General Universitario Morales Meseguer in Murcia, she reported seeing, feeling and talking with the Virgin Mary.

Her family thought it may just be signs of depression, but doctors recommended she be taken to hospitals for tests to be sure.

An MRI scan revealed that she had a glioblastoma multiforme - of which only five per cent of patients are alive five years after their diagnosis. 

But the tumours were too large to be removed, leaving her with just the option to have chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

After also being given some anti-psychotic drugs, her religious symptoms disappeared over a five-week period. 

However, her condition quickly deteriorated and she died just eight months after being diagnosed. 

Writing in the journal, the researchers said: 'it is clear that the religious experience represented a fracture' from her prior behavior that was 'not preceded by a gradual change in her thinking and acting'.

'Nor was there any kind of trigger or reason [for the behaviour change] except for the disease, and hence, it can be considered a clearly pathological experience,' they added.

But they were unsure how patients could possibly become obsessed with religion as a symptom of having the brain tumour. 

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