Suzanne Sutton
Brain Teasers for Healthy Brains
About the Tumor and Surgery
Suzanne's tumor is a meningioma. The following paragraphs provide a bit more information and a few links to learn more.
Most brain tumors are
named after the type of cells from which they develop. A meningioma is a tumor of the
meninges - the protective membranes around the brain and spinal cord. There are three layers of meninges, called the
dura mater, arachnoid and pia mater. Most meningiomas (90%) are categorized as benign
tumors, with the remaining 10% being atypical or malignant. However, the word
"benign" can be misleading in this case, as when benign tumors grow and
constrict and affect the brain, they can cause disability and even be life threatening.
Location of the tumor is an important factor in deciding whether to remove it
or not - in some locations doctors choose to wait and watch, but Suzanne's tumor is
located immediately adjacent to the saggital sinus, the main draining vein of the brain.
As the doctors have explained to us, tumors seek a blood supply, and this one is
'sitting on the mother lode.' Over time it is likely to grow into that vein, (it is
possible that it already has - they won't know until they are inside.) When it does, it
makes surgery much more difficult, and increases the risk of stroke and other damage.
According to Dr. Brem: “my goal is to not touch the saggital sinus, because it is a normal functioning drainage system right now. But to get the tumor out and hopefully cure the tumor while it is still not involved with the sagittal sinus.”
He believes this is a benign meningioma, which is what
we are hoping. As compared to tumors that are atypical and malignant, benign tumors
are less likely to reoccur and rarely invade brain tissue.
More information on the Saggital Sinus
The falx is a groove that
runs between the two sides of the brain (front to back), and contains a large blood vessel
(sagittal sinus). Parasagittal tumors lie near or close
to the falx. Because of the danger of puncturing the blood vessels, removing a tumor in
the falx or parasagittal region can be difficult. Some neurosurgeons have said they
"wouldn't touch it," but Suzanne's doctor - Dr. Henry Brem, chief of
neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University Hospital - strongly advised us to remove it.
He has performed many of these operations.
Symptoms
In many cases, meningiomas grow slowly. Depending upon where it is located, a meningioma may reach a relatively large size before it causes symptoms. When they do cause symptoms, meningiomas may cause seizures, headaches, and focal neurological defects, such as arm or leg weakness, or vision loss. Patients often have subtle symptoms for a long period before the meningioma is diagnosed. Sometimes memory loss, carelessness, and unsteadiness are the only symptoms. Thankfully, Suzanne's tumor was found before any of these symptoms; it was found after she had a blood clot in her retina, which may not even be related to it.
Surgery
You can watch a short video of actual brain surgery and removal of a tumor. In this video, the tumor is malignant, and in the cavity of the brain left after the tumor is removed, the neurosurgeon installs several gliadel wafers, which contain a strong dose of a chemotheraphy drug to be placed directly in the site of the removed tumor. This is a treatment that Dr. Brem pioneered. It is an interesting video to see, if you are not squeamish. (Suzanne's surgery will not involve gliadel wafers, as her tumor is most likely not malignant).
Links to Learn More
~~ Brain Science Foundation Description of Meningiomas - a great and clear explanation.
-This page also
contains a downloadable booklet on meningiomas, that can be found under
“meningioma.”( http://www.abta.org/index.cfm?contentid=19
~~ Good, general info
from a UK site:
http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Cancertype/Brain/Typesofbraintumour/Meningioma
~~
http://www.brighamandwomens.org/neurosurgery/Meningioma/Meningiomafacts.aspx
http://www.meningiomamommas.org/Resources.asp
