Hi,
Brain tumors tend to have a wide range of outcomes, from the rapidly deteriorating as a function of weeks or
days to those who attain some stability over years. The differences in outcomes is partly due to uncertainties
in classification (as some people never get any surgery and only get a CT scan in which there is no
confirmation what the brain tumor actually is), at the end of the day though – the main message is that for
brain tumors – it would be best to make estimates of treatment goals and prognosis on an individualized basis.
Has the tumor grown back since the surgery in 2002? If so, I am assuming that surgery is not possible at the
current time. If this is the case, then an approach to cure while possible, is not probable. It becomes a
question then of how rapidly the tumor is growing.
The other scenario is that the tumor is hardly growing and hence is not producing any symptoms. It may be even
growing at a rate in which your mom may die of old age, before the tumor is large enough to cause problems.
This isn’t a weird scenario – as there are patients who are safely observed with regular scans to see if there
is any change in the size of the brain tumor. If the tumor is growing really slow, then a cure may not be
needed at all.
It may be a good idea to have a consultation with a neurologist to become familiar with what to expect should
sensitive areas of the brain are compressed by the growing tumor.
