Can hormones effect growth/non growth?

[sues1953]

It seems I have read that hormonal changes like pregnancy can speed up growth of these tumors.  Is that true, or just speculation?  If it is true I am wondering if lack of hormone production, like post menopause can slow the growth.  Its getting close to my surgery date and my cold feet are starting to freeze  .  I just can't help but think that being 10 years post menopausal that this tumor should just dry up like everything else.  I have no proof that my tumor is growing and a Second MRI at 3 months post diagnosis showed no growth.  My symptoms are few and I am so afraid of being worse off post opp. 

Please let me know if any of you have thoughts on this subject.

Thanks,   Sue

[Rivergirl]

Hi Sue,
The size of your tumor is on the large size, I am surprised you have no symptoms that would make you just want to get that out.  I think most on this site have it removed because if it gets bigger it will be that much harder to remove. Don't know about the hormone question. Surgery must be such a hard decision, you have a right to have cold feet.  Much luck with your decision.

[Jim Scott]

Sue ~

Although the majority of AN surgical patients do just fine, your pre-surgery anxiety is quite common.  However, considering that your recent MRI scans showed no growth and you have minimal symptoms, if you're really that frightened about the risks involved with AN removal surgery, you may want to consider postponing the surgery and undertake a 'watch-and-wait' posture (observation via annual or semi-annual MRI scans) for the time being.  The downside to that choice is the constant underlying worry ("did it grow?") and, of course, developing a close, personal relationship with your local MRI apparatus.  Obviously, the decision is yours and nothing anyone posts here - this poster included -  should countermand that.   

I have to mention that I don't believe your lack of hormonal production will stop the possible growth of your AN.  I 'm male and was diagnosed - at age 63 - with a large (4.5 cm) AN.  I hasten to add that I'm not a doctor and your conviction that your age and a slowing of hormone production will stop the growth of your AN may be scientifically valid but I'm skeptical about that.

Give your scheduled surgery some serious thought but try not to allow fear of the unknown to control your decision.  Please let us know your final determination.  Thanks.

Jim

[CHD63]

Sue .....

I think the jury is still out on the effect of hormone production on growth of ANs.  ANs are benign tumors.  Hormones can trigger some cancerous tumors to grow rapidly.  Some women with ANs have shown no growth of the AN during a pregnancy, while others have experienced tumor growth.  Personally my AN did not show up on an MRI until long after menopause and then grew rapidly (very rare, I might add).

These buggers we have seem to be inconsistent in where exactly they begin growing (close to the cochlea, as opposed to close to the brainstem) and how rapidly and in what shape they grow.  We are not trying to be vague, but every one of us has had a somewhat different growth pattern with our ANs.  If some researchers, somewhere, figure out what triggers the growth and how to stop it, they will become very wealthy.

Best thoughts.  Clarice

[leapyrtwins]

The size of your tumor is on the large size

This is not true; your tumor is medium.  Generally 4 cm and larger is considered large.

Anyway, there is a theory that hormones can trigger growth in ANs, but I don't believe there is any scientific proof.

I went through menopause very early - at the age of 32 - yet my AN wasn't diagnosed until I was 45 1/2.  It was 1.5 cm when it was discovered; it was almost 3 cms when it was surgically removed - approximately 6 weeks later.

Jan 

[Sheryl]

Hi Sue - I tried researching your question in the past.  Here's my story -- My schwannoma of the 9th cranial nerve was discovered incidentally in November of 2001.  It's almost like an acoustic neuroma but affects the 9th cranial nerve rather than the 8th.  My MRI's of 2002, 2003 and 2004 showed an increase of 1 mm each time equaling total growth over that time period of 3 mm to 12 mm. total size.  In 2004 I discovered I had breast cancer and after treatment was put on an anti-estrogen drug called Arimidex.  My MRI's during the time I was on Arimidex showed no increase in size (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008).  In June of 2009, I stopped taking the Arimidex as five years was the maximum.  Ironically, my MRI in December of 2009 showed a 1 mm increase with total size now up to 13 mm.  Obviously this could just be a "technical difference" or the fact that the neuroradiologist told me they had updated their equipment.  I never got a clear-cut answer from my research and even wrote to a doctor at a large teaching hospital in Boston who is doing research on another type of benign brain tumor (meningioma).  She claimed there was no correlation between estrogen and acoustic neuromas or schwannomas - the jury is still out on meningiomas.  Also added to my puzzle was the fact that in 1995 I had a total hysterectomy but did find out that the body still produces estrogen but not in as large an amount as the ovaries, and I had been on Premarin from 1995 to 2000 but stopped when my mother was diagnosed with highly positive estrogen related breast cancer - as was mine.


Would be interested in hearing if you find out anything,
Sheryl

[mk]

It is not unheard of to have minimal symptoms, even with larger ANs like yours (mine was similar). Upon diagnosis I had no hearing loss, and minimal symptoms (only some facial numbness). However symptoms can appear suddenly (I experienced sudden hearing loss a few months after being diagnosed), and I remember Adrienne's story who experienced onset of trigeminal pain, with a similar sized AN. Also keep in mind that ANs may grow in spurts, with no growth for a few months (or years), followed by a rapid growth spurt. There is some speculation that pregnancy hormones might help speed then up, but (although I believe this was true in my case) I haven't seen any scientific evidence. There is no evidence whatsoever that they may stop growing in postmenopausal women.

I had exactly the same thoughts (i.e. why do anything, when I would be probably worse off after treatment). But in retrospect, I think it is too risky to leave a 3 cm AN untreated, because one rapid spurt and you can end up with serious brainstem, or 4th ventricle compression problems. I did get away with radiation (at least for now), because I was at the cutoff limit. If you are unwilling to do surgery, I would say to have your backup plan ready (i.e. surgeon referrals, choice of surgeon etc), so that once needed you will be ready for surgery.

Marianna

[sues1953]

Thank you all for your posts to my question.  I found all the information helpful.  I guess I am just really dreading the surgery and grasping at straws.  I have decided to keep my surgery date, at least for now 

My best  to you all.  Sue