Author Topic: Recommended radiologist in Massachusetts  (Read 2713 times)

keithmcgowan

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Recommended radiologist in Massachusetts
« on: October 19, 2012, 11:22:34 am »
I am looking for a doctor to perform radiation treatment on my acoustic neuroma.  I am looking for someone that is highly skilled, reputable and has performed this procedure hundreds of times.  My tumor is 2 cm.  What size tumor would be too big to radiate?

Any other advise on radiation would  be greatly appreciated.

KM

geexploitation

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Re: Recommended radiologist in Massachusetts
« Reply #1 on: October 20, 2012, 11:26:47 am »
Get a consult at Mass General. They're a national center for dealing with not only acoustic neuromas, but also tumors in the head of all types. They also have access to a broad array of radiation technology and are an all-around great hospital.

To answer the size question, the typical rule-of-thumb cutoff for radiation treatment is around 3 cm, but it really depends on where the tumor is and its shape. Those variables relate to not wanting to irradiate something very important (like the brainstem, for instance) and covering as much of the tumor in radiation as possible, which is very technical and depends on how the different kinds of light beams they use behave in space.

Talk to both a radiation guy and a cutter -- hopefully they'll agree on the best course of treatment. (I sought out opinions from radiation people and they said unequivocally NOT to get radiation, which was very helpful in my decision making process.)
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41 mm x 24 mm x 28 mm probable AN diagnosed 1/10/2012.
Surgically diagnosed 7/9/2012 as TRIGEMINAL schwannoma and removed via retrosigmoid at MGH in Boston, MA by Drs. Barker and McKenna.

Sheryl

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Re: Recommended radiologist in Massachusetts
« Reply #2 on: October 21, 2012, 06:13:36 pm »
Hi - where are you in MA?  You really want a radiation oncologist as opposed to a radiologist.  We have used the Beth Israel (they have CyberKnife) - Dr. Anand Mahadevan.  He is superb.  I use the term "we" as both my husband and I have brain tumors.   Mine is a wait and watch brain-stem tumor.   Hubby is also a patient at the Dana Farber and sees a neuro-oncologist (Dr. Andrew Norden) for his meningioma.   When it was recommended recently that my husband undergo radiation for regrowth, we went to Dr. Mahadevan and surprisingly he and Dr. Norden recommended IMRT and that it could be done locally (Cape Cod Hospital) with the same equipment and a highly recommended radiation oncologist there.  If Boston docs were recommending local facilities, then an 8 mile ride opposed to an 80 mile ride was obviously a "no brainer" (pun intended).  This has been a six-week course - every day but weekends, and we are in the final stretch - only 4 more sessions.

MGH, obviously, is highly renowned too.  I've heard that 3 cm. is the cutoff for size.

Please feel free to PM me if you have any further questions or concerns. 

Good luck and keep us posted,
Sheryl
9th cranial nerve schwannoma - like an acoustic neuroma on another nerve. Have recently been told it could be acoustic neuroma. Only 7 mm of growth in 18 years. With no symptoms. Continuing W&W