After meeting again with Dr. Lai along with Dr. Piccioni on
Monday and Dr. Liau on Tuesday, I have decided to go with the open
biopsy procedure. It is scheduled for August 4 and will be performed by
Dr. Liau at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
I met with Dr. Lai and Dr. Piccioni after my MRI scan. Although my MRI scan shows little to no change of the lesion, Dr. Lai still believes that the best course of action right would be resection of the lesion. It would provide the most definitive path in determining what the lesion might be and what treatment if any, would be required. Dr. Liau shares the same opinion as do the other members of the tumor board she consulted with. Dr. Liau added that removing as much as possible now would greatly reduce the chance of complications in the future. She also added that there might be a good chance that removal of the lesion would also reduce or eliminate altogether the possibility of seizures and therefore I would no longer need to take Keppra.
All indications based on the MRI scan points to the lesion as most likely a low-grade tumor of some sort (most likely a glioma). Dr. Liau explained that any abnormalities in the brain can be attributed to either gliosis (scar tissue), cortical dysplasia (extra clump of brain tissue), or a tumor. However, based on the MRI scans, the two former have been ruled out because the lesion does not match their characteristics. If it were the two former, a likely path would be a wait and see approach to see if they result in any physical symptoms such as seizures. As it seems likely to be a low grade tumor, the best course of action I believe is to take it out because 1) I can stop wondering what the lesion is, 2) it will provide a more definitive answer and course of action, and 3) it would likely decrease any possible future complications should the lesion become aggressive (which can happen). There can be complications and a small chance the procedure may result in irreparable mental deficits. I only hope I am making the right decision.
So there are a few things for me to do in the next coming weeks (it’s coming up so soon!). Dr. Liau would still like for me to get the DOPA PET scan done along with some brain mapping to help with the biopsy. I may also need to possibly do an autologous blood donation (self donation) as well. Additionally, there is some paperwork to prepare and I’ll need to prepare the FMLA and SDI applications as well. So much to think about and do on top of my work responsibilities…
I met with Dr. Lai and Dr. Piccioni after my MRI scan. Although my MRI scan shows little to no change of the lesion, Dr. Lai still believes that the best course of action right would be resection of the lesion. It would provide the most definitive path in determining what the lesion might be and what treatment if any, would be required. Dr. Liau shares the same opinion as do the other members of the tumor board she consulted with. Dr. Liau added that removing as much as possible now would greatly reduce the chance of complications in the future. She also added that there might be a good chance that removal of the lesion would also reduce or eliminate altogether the possibility of seizures and therefore I would no longer need to take Keppra.
All indications based on the MRI scan points to the lesion as most likely a low-grade tumor of some sort (most likely a glioma). Dr. Liau explained that any abnormalities in the brain can be attributed to either gliosis (scar tissue), cortical dysplasia (extra clump of brain tissue), or a tumor. However, based on the MRI scans, the two former have been ruled out because the lesion does not match their characteristics. If it were the two former, a likely path would be a wait and see approach to see if they result in any physical symptoms such as seizures. As it seems likely to be a low grade tumor, the best course of action I believe is to take it out because 1) I can stop wondering what the lesion is, 2) it will provide a more definitive answer and course of action, and 3) it would likely decrease any possible future complications should the lesion become aggressive (which can happen). There can be complications and a small chance the procedure may result in irreparable mental deficits. I only hope I am making the right decision.
So there are a few things for me to do in the next coming weeks (it’s coming up so soon!). Dr. Liau would still like for me to get the DOPA PET scan done along with some brain mapping to help with the biopsy. I may also need to possibly do an autologous blood donation (self donation) as well. Additionally, there is some paperwork to prepare and I’ll need to prepare the FMLA and SDI applications as well. So much to think about and do on top of my work responsibilities…
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