Necrosis? Are you kidding me?

[NancyMc]

So, I get home from a wearing day of pre-admissions testing on the MGH campus, and in the mail (along with the Magic Scarf and journal which I have not opened yet) is my pre-op MRI report.  Notable are the unchanged dimensions (in spite of Dr. Barker's assessment of the films that the tumor had grown) and the suggestion that "The regions of bright T2 signal and decreased enhancement of the tumor are consistent with cystic or necrotic changes which were also observed on the comparison examination."
Is my tumor dying, and I am perhaps having surgery needlessly?  I'll never know.
Nancy

[Mickey]

Very Interesting! Why can`t anything be possible? The way it came maybe the way it can go. In any case I guess its how do you feel? Keep us posted on what your going to do. Best Wishes, Mickey

[NancyMc]

No turning back now.  All signed, sealed, and delivered.  OR on Wednesday morning at 6 sharp!
Probably cystic not necrotic.  No point in wondering.

[MAlegant]

Nancy if it makes you feel any better they thought my tumor was cystic or necrotic but in fact it had wrapped around a bunch of nerves.  I've never regretted surgery. 
M

[NancyMc]

Oh, geez, that makes me feel a WHOLE lot better!   
I guess I should be looking forward to a very long and complicated surgery.

[MAlegant]

Not necessarily.  I had a relatively short surgery--4.5 or 5 hours--and a virtually complication-free recovery.  My tumor was not very sticky I suppose.

[NancyMc]

That's a relief!
Thank you for clarifying.
Nancy

[joebloggs]

Nancy, my tumour was particularly cystic - about half of the inside was a big old cyst.  I had been told beforehand that cystic tumours are supposed to be sticky so I was thinking I'd have a long surgery but in the end it was only 6 hours and my facial nerve is fine and dandy.  Fear not - all will be well!

[NancyMc]

You mean I'm gonna look like you when I get out?  Whoopeeeeee!

[joebloggs]

ha ha... you hair will be less frizzy I reckon!  Seriously I wouldn't worry too much about the necrosis/cyst angle... they'll get the bugger out of there and then you'll be right!

[SML]

Nancy,

My AN was also diagnosed as having necrosis in the middle. I asked Dr. Lee if that meant the rest of the tumor would die off by itself eventually. He out and out told me no.

Dr. Barker later explained the necrosis as a cyst filled with fluid that at some point the tumor may have bled inside and the fluid is just trapped in there. He also told me that having a cystic/necrosis tumor also can increase the size of the tumor not only by the live tumor cells splitting and dividing but also by having more fluid building up in the center, that is what made FSR (multi-session fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy) radiation treatment a non-option for me.

Fear not, your surgery is not for nothing!!

Scarlett

[NancyMc]

Ooooo, Scarlett, all the gory details!      But thanks for that concise explanation.
I, too, determined FSR is no longer an option due to the cystic component mentioned after my October MRI.
I had always planned to have FSR should there be growth.  My films were on Dr Williams' (FSR guru) desk at Johns Hopkins for baseline review when he went to the gym and died of a heart attack.  It was a very sad time about eight years ago for many of his patients.
I forgot to tell Dr. Barker to take all the fat he wants.  Should I send him a note?
Oh, also, when I was in his office on Thursday, he said he had done an AN on Wednesday and had another one on Friday!
Nancy