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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Can Pregnancy Cause Re-growth Of Tumor After An Removal?

Hi,I had an acoustic neuroma surgically removed in Sept. of 2008. The surgery was very successful, but follow-up MRIs each year since then have shown enhancement at the AN site. My neurosurgeon is confident that this is due to scarring, since he did have to do some gentle scraping to remove the tumor from the acoustic nerve. Additionally, he did have to leave a small amount of the tumor sheath in order to preserve my hearing. He wants me to have another MRI in a couple of years to make sure there is no change/growth. My question is: can pregnancy (and pregnancy hormones) after an AN removal, where a bit of tumor sheath still remains, cause re-growth of the tumor? I am currently 9 months pregnant, and can t distinguish between some pregnancy symptoms and AN symptoms (ear ringing, loss of balance, dizziness, etc).
Mon, 10 Aug 2015
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OBGYN,  's  Response
Hello this is Dr. Brown.

I performed a review of the medical literature in order to give you the most current information.

Acoustic neuromas do tend to get larger during late pregnancy and some even contain estrogen receptors. There are even cases of women having surgery to treat their neuromas during pregnancy. An MRI is safe during pregnancy and will clarify of your tumor has recurred. There is no specific reference to recurrence from a tumor sheath, so you may not be at risk at all, but if you do develop a recurrence, once you have the baby the tumor can shrink back to its pre-pregnancy size. So if your symptoms are not bad I would recommend delaying any invasive treatment until after the baby is born unless your symptoms are intolerable. I would discuss having an MRI and would follow the recommendations of your neurosurgeon and let your OB doctor know what is going on so they can properly coordinate your care. I hope this was helpful and good luck with your pregnancy.
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Can Pregnancy Cause Re-growth Of Tumor After An Removal?

Hello this is Dr. Brown. I performed a review of the medical literature in order to give you the most current information. Acoustic neuromas do tend to get larger during late pregnancy and some even contain estrogen receptors. There are even cases of women having surgery to treat their neuromas during pregnancy. An MRI is safe during pregnancy and will clarify of your tumor has recurred. There is no specific reference to recurrence from a tumor sheath, so you may not be at risk at all, but if you do develop a recurrence, once you have the baby the tumor can shrink back to its pre-pregnancy size. So if your symptoms are not bad I would recommend delaying any invasive treatment until after the baby is born unless your symptoms are intolerable. I would discuss having an MRI and would follow the recommendations of your neurosurgeon and let your OB doctor know what is going on so they can properly coordinate your care. I hope this was helpful and good luck with your pregnancy.