Expert: Claes-Gustaf Nordquist, M.D. - 7/10/2010

Question
QUESTION: 5 years ago I started having funny feelings during the day....went to a doc and he had me do a MRI to find a pea sized lesion on my frontal lobe.  Other than the occasional "spells" I feel fine.  So my doc sent me to a neurosurgeon....another MRI...this time no change in size...doc said that I have a slow growing tumor, that would not be to operateable size for 15 years.  Had me come back in two years for another MRI....well its now ping-pong ball size and he says that we need to think about what surgery we will do...chemo or radiation too. Wants me back in 6 months for another MRI. Well now I'm scared and what a second opinion.  He says he can't say cancer without having a piece of it under the micro scope.  I guess my questions are:  is the neurosurgeon the right doc to be seeing?  How long do I wait for surgery....do I start any treatment now?  Thanks so much for your feedback.

ANSWER: I do not understand these delays. In principle your lesion could have been deleted by stereotactic radiation therapy without any surgery at all 5 years ago! Now it may be too big for such treatment so that only surgery, conventional radiation therapy & chemotherapy remain. It is correct that without a surgical specimen for a pathologist to study we can not be sure what it is but it has been there for a long time and it has been growing.....! And I can not understand why no surgery or other treatments have been used yet. So get a second opinion soonest!




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---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: ok....thank you so much for your reply.  I want to get that second opinion ASAP, but is the neurosurgeon the doctor I should be seeing?  Or someone else....
thanks again

Answer
A second opinion is ALWAYS from another doctor. But since this deals with a brain tumor that doctor too has to be a neurosurgeon. Good luck!






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