The Crucial Role of Monitoring After Treatment
- For individuals facing glioma, understanding the nature of tumor recurrence is important for managing expectations and making informed treatment decisions.
- After treatment, patients will need to be closely monitored for any signs that cancer has started to grow again.
- Despite common terminology suggesting tumors “come back” after being eliminated, Dr. Geoffrey Barger, of Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, explains that malignant gliomas frequently regrow because microscopic cancer cells remain present even when scans appear clear.
- These leftover cells can eventually repopulate, which is why it’s crucial for patients to continue lifelong monitoring with annual scans at a minimum.
Despite common terminology suggesting tumors “come back” after being eliminated, Dr. Geoffrey Barger, of Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, explains that malignant gliomas frequently regrow because microscopic cancer cells remain present even when scans appear clear.
Read More These invisible but viable cells can eventually repopulate, creating what appears to be a recurrence — but really indicates that the tumor was never truly fully eliminated. “’Coming back’ is a misnomer,” notes Dr. Barger. “It was never gone completely to begin with. There were still tumor cells that were viable. So all you need is one that’s still capable of repopulating, growing and dividing repetitively for the tumor to quote, ‘come back.’” This is why it’s so important to undergo regular surveillance through MRI scans after treatment concludes.
Dr. Barger emphasizes that patients should continue lifelong monitoring with annual scans at a minimum, regardless of how well they appear to be doing, to catch any potential regrowth as early as possible.
Treatment options at recurrence may include additional surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, targeted therapy or immunotherapy, and/or quality of life/palliative care.
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