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Author Topic: Is there a risk that an AN can be malign?  (Read 3429 times)

catlover

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Is there a risk that an AN can be malign?
« on: January 28, 2009, 02:57:59 pm »
Hello,

I got so worried and upset yesterday. I read somewhere on the forum, when a member told us about how her/his surgery was done, that the doctors came to tell his/her family, after a few hours into the surgery, that the tumour was benign. I was convinced that all ANs were benign! Is it possible to be a wait-and-watcher for years and then when the AN is big enough to be removed by surgery, the surgeons suddenly find that the AN tumour is malign. Could that be the case?  ???

Should I start worrying for that as well!  :'(  I'm already worried about my upcoming surgery in March/April.  :(

Hugs from Helene in Sweden
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Sue

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Re: Is there a risk that an AN can be malign?
« Reply #1 on: January 28, 2009, 03:01:38 pm »

Please don't worry about this.  This is predominately a benign tumor.  There have been a few cases where this is not so, but the chances that you have a malignant tumor is very, very, slim.  So, don't worry about having cancer.  Really. 

Sue in Vancouver USA
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Pooter

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Re: Is there a risk that an AN can be malign?
« Reply #2 on: January 28, 2009, 03:25:57 pm »
I agree.  The chances of getting an AN to begin with are pretty small, and then top that off with the chances of a MALIGNANT one too is really, really small.  The chances are really small even within the AN population.  I wouldn't worry about it either because chances of it are so small.  There are, as they say, bigger fishes to fry.  :)

Regards,
Brian
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ppearl214

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Re: Is there a risk that an AN can be malign?
« Reply #3 on: January 28, 2009, 04:50:14 pm »
Hi Helene,

Oh, no worries.... We know that the schwann cells that make up the AN are just that.... cells that are the covering to the nerve.  I have a better chance of being hit by lightening vs. having my AN become malignant.  Reality is.... yes, exceptionally few are/become malignant, but based on overall numbers...... I'll take the lightening strike.

Hang in there....
Phyl
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mk

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Re: Is there a risk that an AN can be malign?
« Reply #4 on: January 28, 2009, 07:38:16 pm »
Helene,

like everyone else said, the chances of an AN being malignant are minimal.

That being said I wanted to share by first experience searching about ANs on the internet, right after my family doctor had phoned me and given me the news of my diagnosis. So I googled acoustic schwannoma (because this was the term that the doctor used) and the very first site that showed up was a publication describing the case of a malignant AN (the title was something like "reporting a case of a trully malignant acoustic schwannoma) :o. Up to then I know nothing about ANs, so you can imagine my first reaction  :P.

Marianna
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GK on April 23rd 2008 for 2.9 cm AN at Toronto Western Hospital. Subsequent MRIs showed darkening initially, then growth. Retrosigmoid surgery on April 26th, 2011 with Drs. Akagami and Westerberg at Vancouver General Hospital. Graduallly lost hearing after GK and now SSD but no other issues.

Kaybo

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Re: Is there a risk that an AN can be malign?
« Reply #5 on: January 28, 2009, 09:13:41 pm »
Helene~
Not that I know about every case first hand, but I truly do not know or have heard of one case where it was malignant.  Just as they HAVE to tell you that you might die getting your tonsils removed, the say that AN's are "almost always" benign - I think it is part of the "cover your butt in ALL cases!"  No worries!

K
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leapyrtwins

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Re: Is there a risk that an AN can be malign?
« Reply #6 on: January 28, 2009, 10:54:03 pm »
Helene -

from what I understand 99.9% of ANs are benign.  So is malignancy possible?  Yes.  Is it probable?  No.

Jan
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