One year MRI question--dark spot gone

[Twindy]

Hello--I'm back after a year with a question.  I had an MRI at 6 months and the tumor was darkened on the inside, indicating it "dying."  Good sign!  But I had my one year MRI today and while there is no growth, the darkened spot is gone.  It is all white like pre-radiation.  Drs. didn't make note of that change and said all looked good.  Should I be concerned?  Has this happened to anyone else?  Can it re-grow from the inside??

Thanks for any input!  I nearly forget I have this until it's time to see the dr., then all the old anxieties come back!!

[PaulW]

My understanding is that the enhancement or lack of enhancement is largely due to the blood flow through the tumour and the amount of dye within the tumour.
Radiation works in two ways, it damages blood vessels and destroys the DNA of the tumour cells.
The dark spot is likely to be caused by a lack of blood flow to the centre of the tumour. The most important way that radiation works is damage to the DNA to stop the tumour from replicating.
Black spots are nice to see for people like us, because it looks like something is happening.

I am pretty sure that dark spots are NOT a predictor of whether the treatment will be successful or not, they are just comforting for us to see.

So while blood flow might currently be more consistent through the tumour at the moment it does not indicate the amount of DNA damage done to the tumour.

I believe the most important thing is that tumour growth or swelling stops at 2 years and the tumour reduces in size or is stable at year 3 and beyond.

I believe there is a huge variation in how these tumours react to radiation.

Smaller tumours are less likely to show black spots if at all.

Please talk to your doctor if you have any doubts. I am a poor substitute for information...
This is just my personal view on how things work.

[mk]

Darkening may or may not happen. If it does it is visible between 6-12 months. Afterwards the tumor fills up with scar tissue, and it appears white again on the MRI. This is the typical sequence of events and it there is nothing to worry about.

Darkening is not an indication of success, and lack of it is not an indication of failure. My AN showed widespread darkening at the 6 and 12 month mark. However the tumor continued to grow. Every tumor responds differently. Also, darkening may happen between MRIs, so that you never see it. The important thing is that there is no growth. Your doctors are not concerned and you shouldn't be either.

Marianna

[arizonajack]

Call up your doctor and ask the same question.

[Twindy]

Thank you for you input!  Much appreciated!