I don't know how many doctors who treat ANs do both radiation and surgery, but I wanted to point out that I know at least two who do.
Jan
Just popping in to add that my neurosurgeon works closely with a radiation oncologist when treating AN patients. They respect each other's medical discipline and worked as a team on my AN case. The neurosurgeon used the retrosigmoid approach surgery and employed nerve monitoring (he flew in an out-of-town specialist). My 4.5 cm AN was 'debulked' (down to 2.5 cm). Then, he worked closely with the radiation oncologist to 'map' my FSR, using 'fresh' MRI and CT scans, The result was very satisfactory. A rapid recovery from the surgery (with no real complications), then, 3 months later, as previously scheduled, 26 FSR treatments (5 weeks) that caused me no side-effects or any real discomfort. Within a year, the AN has shrunk and shows signs of necrosis (cell death). Both doctor and patient are elated .
I highly recommend seeking a doctor that, even though he specializes in neurosurgery, is open to whatever is most efficacious for the patient. A fellow Connecticut resident with a small AN (that used to post on these boards) that I referred to my neurosurgeon, was impressed when my doctor looked at his MRI and, because he had a small AN, referred him to my radiation oncologist, even taking the trouble to personally escort this fellow down to the radiation oncologists office for an impromptu appointment.
This is the kind of surgeon who really has the patients interest at heart and isn't fixated on performing his specialty on every AN patient that comes through his door. I consider myself blessed to have this kind of neurosurgeon. I wish every AN patient could find a doctor like him in their area. I'm sure many such doctors exist, but sometimes they're hard to find. I hope 'JFT" finds one.
Jim
