HomeAnswersNeurologylymphomaMy paralyzed mother-in-law's MRI shows possibilities of lymphoma and glioma. Can surgery cure it?

Is surgery possible in a 69-year-old woman with lymphoma or glioma?

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Answered by

Dr. Hitesh Kumar

Medically reviewed by

iCliniq medical review team

Published At August 13, 2022
Reviewed AtMay 16, 2023

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

My mother-in-law was having headaches, and sleeping problems for one month, then she has had paralysis in her right leg and hand for the last 15 days. She had a history of pneumonia and had surgery for appendicitis. Her Hemoglobin level is 9 gm/dL. Currently, she is taking Dexamethasone, pain killers, and antacids. MRI shows possibilities of lymphoma, and glioma, at the age of 69. Our brain surgeon denies further treatment and biopsy, as the tumor is deep. Please tell me whether surgery will cure it or not.

Answered by Dr. Hitesh Kumar

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

As per your information, till now, the diagnosis is not histopathological proven. On magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), it is possible to be lymphoma or glioma. However, there can be a chance of it being something else too.

The treatments for both these are somewhat different. Lymphoma responds better to steroids and chemotherapy, and glioma responds very poorly to chemotherapy. Radiotherapy can also be decided only after knowing what tumor it is. So for deciding on further treatment, I suggest a histopathological diagnosis. For differentiating malignancy and non-malignant lesions, a positron emission tomography (PET) scan can be helpful.

If other clinical features point toward infective etiology, I suggest trying lumbar puncture and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) fluid, detailed analysis including polymerase chain reaction (PCR) study, malignant cell or antibodies for possible infective etiologies.

The best diagnosis will be with a biopsy. The feasibility of taking a biopsy can not be judged by MRI printed report; a neurosurgeon can judge it only with images in hand or by looking at a computer console.

I suggest you consult a neurosurgeon again and discuss possible ways to get a biopsy. If the biopsy is not recommended, you can discuss the option of lumbar puncture, PET scan, or trying high-dose steroids empirically, which may be helpful in lymphoma. But if it is some infective lesion, steroids can flare the infection.

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Hitesh Kumar
Dr. Hitesh Kumar

Neurology

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