ANA Discussion Forum
AN Community => AN Community => Topic started by: bigfun13 on August 10, 2009, 09:26:59 am
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Hello all - newbie here - I had an AN removed 13 years ago and last weak I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer - I understand it is very treatable and have been told that much like an AN was the best kind of brain tumor - thyroid is the best cancer to get ( I am just lucky I guess)
I was just wondering if anybody knows of any connection between the two - I have read other topics and they discussed thyroid problems and most people seemed to have the thyroid problem first then the AN so I am just looking for some info or anybody that has had both.
Thanks in advance for any info
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Hi and welcome. I'm sorry to hear of this diagnosis and trust that you are doing all of your research prior to your procedure. I, personally, have not hear of a correlation between AN's and thyroid cancer, esp. since AN's are benign overgrowth of Schwan cells vs. thyroid cancer. I had left 1/2 of my thyroid removed over 10 yrs ago due to benign growth (they thought malignant with needle aspiration but found it to be benign during frozen section in OR) and did not get my AN diagnosis until much time later.
Maybe do an online search about it, but as for me, I've not heard of any relationship between the 2.
Best wishes for wellness.
Phyl
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Hi Big Fun!
I had my AN removed a little over 13 years ago too in Houston - where did you have yours done? I had my thyroid removed in 2006 - I don't think that there was any correlation between the two. My grandmother, mom and many on my dad's side too (I just found out) all had thyroid trouble so I knew to be on the lookout. I just had LOTS of nodules, of different types, and the Dr. said we could just let them grow "but they might become unsightly" - HELLO...my face is paralyzed, I don't need anything else going on with that distraction! LOL! He did say that if we left them that they could turn cancerous so we decided that it was pretty inevitable that I would need to have them out and figured I would bounce back from surgery better at 35 than 45 or 55! Of all the surgeries I have had, it is the one I would recommend - aside the fact that I got really sick from the anesthesia, I was at the pool with my girlies within a week! I don't know if that really answered any of your questions, but I would be more than happy to chat with you about it all if you want to PM you number!
K
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Hello and welcome, Big Fun.
I'll assume that your recovery from your 1996 AN surgery went well.
Like all the previous posters, I'm not aware of any link between thyroid issues and acoustic neuromas but I'm sorry to learn of your thyroid cancer diagnosis. Fortunately, thyroid cancer treatment is uncomplicated (surgery, radioactive iodine treatment, a daily thyroid hormone pill and annual blood tests) and is almost always successful. I'm sure you'll do well. :)
Jim
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Welcome, Big Fun!
I do not know of a direct connection between ANs and thyroid cancer. However, I do know there is a connection between childhood radiation treatment and thyroid cancer and new studies are being conducted on a possible connection between childhood radiation and ANs ...... so it stands to reason there could be a connection.
I had radiation treatments following a tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy in the mid 1950s ...... no thyroid cancer (yet??) but AN diagnosis in early 2008, at a relatively older age for diagnosis.
You do not include your age range, but here is a link to an article concerning radiation and ANs. http://neuro-oncology.dukejournals.org/cgi/reprint/10/1/73.pdf
Feel free to PM me if you want more details/information.
Let us know how you are doing.
Clarice
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Thank you all for the reply's - I am a 47 year old man and had a 4cm AN removed in 1996 - everything has been great since,
I even have found hearing loss in one ear(selective hearing) to be very useful and more of an advantage then a disadvantage it just takes a lot of practice to pretend you can't hear something you can actually hear.
I figured their would be no link between the two but it seems funny to have two tumors both be 4cm and both be on the right side and be only about 2 inches from each other.
Although I get the mailings and have been a member since 1996, I didn't even know about the forum here, once I found the forum I knew you guys would come through with answers -
again, thank you for you quick and good responses.
-Big