Mona, thank you for sharing your progress with everyone here. Your report will give encouragement to other radiation patients whose tumors have swelled. That your AN finally shrank at year 3 gives hope to all that rebounds can happen that far out.
Who was the radio doc who reported tumor dimensions differing from Dr. Chang's assessment? Was it Dr. Scott Atlas by any chance? I have had major problems with his so-called work at Stanford. In three consecutive reports issued by Atlas over the course of a year, he consistently cited flawed data in his MRI reports: tumor dimensions wrong by sometimes over 50%, misstating my age and treatment dates, etc. In one report, it was obvious that he was looking at MRIs for a totally different patient! I had to file requests for amendments to those reports in order to get them corrected. Atlas' work is a black mark against the otherwise stellar reputation for Stanford.
Dr. Chang never reads radiologists' MRI reports; he always makes the tumor measurements himself. I would trust his measurements. As an aside, my own measurements (reviewing the MRIs myself) have always agreed with those made by Dr. Chang with at most 1mm difference (insignificant, and explained by the arbitrary angles of measurement made along oblique axes).
After complaining about Atlas' work on my last MRI report, I was told I could request another radiologist to read my future MRIs, which is what I plan to do.
Anyway, congrats on your AN shrinking. I'm sure that's a huge relief.
Best wishes,
TW
