Age related radiation question from newbie

[Anna7]

Hello, I'm newly diagnosed (1.3x8x8 left AN) and still struggling with treatment choices.  I am 40 years old and doctors have told me that I'm too young to consider radiation treatments.  I'd like to ask those of you out there who were over 50 yrs old when you had your AN treated with some form of radiation, would you still have opted for it over surgery if you were 30 or 40ish?  (not that 50 is old, just using it as a form of delineating threshold)  When I talked to the surgeon at HEI   I left with tremendous fear about malignant conversion after radiation.

Thanks, Anna 

[ppearl214]

Hi anna,

well, I was 45 (UGH!) when I had CK 2 yrs ago (ok, stop adding it up, folks!)..... and I am really waiting for folks such as Vancouver Sue (GK patient) and Jim Scott and some of the others to chime in about age and radio-treatments... They can best share about radio-treatments done at wonderful ages!

Oh, the discussions about malignancy post AN radiation.... I'm REALLY going to sit back and let others note as it riles me up when I constantly read this.... my hope is that dr's would be better informed. Not saying it doesn't happen, but heck, I have more chance of being hit by lightening vs. my radio-treatment causing cancer.  I'm really going to bite my tongue on this one......



Phyl

[Anna7]

Thanks for your prompt response Phyl.  I feel like a chicken with my head cut off right about now.  I don't know, perhaps I'm just searching for security in numbers and would love to hear from others.

[jtd71465]

The odds of having an AN are around 1 in 100,000 but your odds and mine are both 100%.  My point is when it happens to you -  you "become" that statistic. 

I had surgery to remove my AN and have had great results and no complications.  Put yourself in the best hands possible and good things happen.


Joe-

[gordy]

anne im 44 now was 43 when i had gamme knife radiation done on a an 1.5 by 1.5 good luck to you.

[leapyrtwins]

Anna -

I had surgery, but my doc did give me the option of radiation - specifically GK.  I was 45 1/2 at the time of my diagnosis and surgery.
 
If you're currently 40, I can't imagine that 5 1/2 years would make that much difference.  I've always heard that the option of radiation or surgery was more related to the size and location of the AN - not the age of the patient.

But I'm not a doctor; maybe there is some valid reason for this 

Jan

[chocolatetruffle]

There is a neurosurgeon at HEI who also performs Gamma Knife radiosurgery, his name is Dr Marc Schwartz. 

[sgerrard]

You are more likely to die on the operating table having AN surgery, than you are to get cancer from radiation treatment of an AN. Fortunately, neither one happens very often.

It is a bit sad that otherwise well qualified doctors still trot out that little "threat", despite it being irrelevant when considering treatment options.

.... I'm REALLY going to sit back and let others note as it riles me up when I constantly read this....

Yeah, me too.

Steve

[Mark]

Anna,

I think I already offered you my opinion about HEI and radiosurgery advice. While they may have a GK available for a patient even they don't feel comfortable operating on ( such as  too elderly) , they are not proponents of it as a first line approach to treating an AN. Anyone who reads the misinformation about radiosurgery on their web site or listened to the panel discussions at this years symposium ( I bought the tapes) would come to the conclusion that they push surgery. You really need to do some consults with doctors who understand that option. otherwise, you're just going to continue to be frustrated in getting good quality information to make a decision on.

Mark

[Anna7]

Thank you all for your thoughts.  I'm leaning toward Cyberknife after already consulting with House Ear Clinic regarding surgery (Dr. Schwartz) and another highly respected neuro oncologist/neurosurgeon at UCI medical center regarding Gamma Knife.  I contacted Stanford and they recommended a Cyberknife center close to me in Los Angeles.  I'm feeling calmer now as I inch closer to a decision.  Feeling out of control has been the worst part of this whole experience. 

[Lorenzo]

chiming in a bit late on this. My doc put my chances of getting a malignancy from radiosurgery as smaller than getting cancer from any other cause / reason. I was 44 and a bit when I was treated.
Ciao, Lorenzo

[Mia]

Hello

I was 37 when I had GK.

Mia

[Dana]

Hi,

My response is not based on extensive research on whether GammaKnife (or any radio"surgery") can cause cancer, but I think that it's ironic when one does a Google search for "Gamma Knife causing cancer", all the responses are about Gamma Knife being used to TREAT cancer!

Gamma Knife has been around for decades.  I haven't seen any reports popping up linking Gamma Knife treatment to CAUSING cancer.  Perhaps you could put this question to, for example, someone at the House Clinic in LA (via email) or see if it's discussed on the CyberKnife patient site (Steve, what's that URL?).  I do really agree with Steve that there are many things, including microsurgery for an AN, or totally unrelated things, that are more likely to be difficult or fatal than radio"surgery".

If I were you, I'd research the question more, try to find those who you sense have a balanced perspective, before rejecting Gamma or Cyber Knife.  I can tell you from personal experience that Gamma Knife (which is what I had) is ALOTTTTTTT easier to recover from than brain microsurgery, which several members of my family have had in the past.  Microsurgery can be a good choice, but I don't think that fear of cancer from radiosurgery is a good reason to choose microsurgery.

At age 40 I would have had no qualms about choosing radiosurgery, but that of course is a personal choice.

Keep us posted about your situation, and tell us if you find any balanced discussion or research about this question of radiosurgery for the younger.

Take care,
Dana

[Mark]

What Dana said 

Nice post, quite on target

Mark

[leapyrtwins]

Microsurgery can be a good choice, but I don't think that fear of cancer from radiosurgery is a good reason to choose microsurgery.

Dana

I also agree with Dana - and Mark.  In fact, IMO Dana's quote (above) just about sums it all up. 

Jan