Adenoma vs Hemangioma which is more common?

Question

I was diagnosed with lesion about 2 cm around (so small yet) on right lobe of my liver in Jan of 05 have had ct after ct and mri done with and without contrast and now they are wanting to do one more mri with contrast and thats with yet ANOTHER ct with contrast being done then after this mri they will biopsy, the dr says not much has changed but they can see it and it is there it may have grown a hair but nothing to worry about I have several ?? such as I am not on contraseptives so at my age of 30 what is more likely an adenoma or hemangioma> I have been told it could be either or should I ask which is more common? how common is it in my age group? treatment options and chances of posible reoccurenc? also my husband and I are talking about getting me unfixed so we can have kids I had 7 in my family die of cancers my parents being the last and I am the only one left alive can this be a genetic issue?

The big question is WHY ARE THEY WAITING TO BIOPSY SO LONG AND SO UNCERTAIN YET??

Answer 1

Hemangiomas of the liver are very common lesions, and are benign. Adenomas are much more rare, so statistically, even without looking at an MRI or CT scan, if you say you have a 2cm liver lesion, chances are good that it's a benign hemangioma. As an aside, even though adenomas are rare, they still tend to occur in young women taking oral contraceptives. In almost all cases, a typical hemagioma can be quite confidently diagnosed by its MRI appearance. The problem is that once something is found that does not look like a "typical" hamngioma, it can be anything.....adenoma, cancer, etc. In a 30 year old such as yourself, the liklihood of a cancer is very remote. But if the MRI scan does not look like a "typical" hemagioma, this produces the dilemna you and your doctors are in. Some will be followd for a couple of years to document stability, while others are biopsied. Biopsy should not be done lightly, since sticking a needle into the liver carries the risk of internal bleeding. If biopsies were 100% safe, then every suspicious finding would be biopsied.

Answer 2

Hemangiomas are very common in the liver in all age ranges. They are a benign proliferation of blood vessels. I am sure you can understand why a biopsy may bring about dire consequences if that were the case. By doing further tests, and watchful waiting, they can learn more about what they are dealing with. Either way, it is most certainly benign, and they should have stressed this possiblity to you. Some cystic conditions in the liver are associated with cysts in the kidneys, and that may run in families, but there again, they are benign.

Try to be calm and listen and make an effort to learn and understand. Nervous and demanding patients never get the best that modern medicine has to offer.

Were this a finding in a workup on myself or one of my family, I would not be in the least concerned, would ask them to look at it again in another year or so to make sure it had not changed. If a couple of years had gone by with no change, I would consider this a normal variant and go about my life as if I had never heard of it.

Answer 3

The liver is a very vascular organ, and a biopsy is not without risks. The risk of bleeding is relatively significant. Hemangiomas are very common. If they are reasonably certain that's what it is, they may feel safe is skipping the biopsy and just following it on mri or ct.

Answer 4

If you are this worried, and I sure as heck would be, you need to tell this to your doctor. Tell him or her that you don't want to wait and that you want the biopsy NOW. Otherwise, you should get copies of all of your scans and records and go to another doctor. Ask around to people who have had cancers in your area who the best oncologist is. Try to get in to that doctor. Or, go to a cancer center like Dana Farber or MD Anderson. I also have something that could be one or the other (on larynx), but the doctor was able to look at it and thinks it is a hemeangioma.

You have the right to not be held in this anxiety-producing limbo. Your medical records are yours so if the doctor gives him any issues tell him or her that. THey can charge you for making a copy, but usually won't.

Best of luck to you.

Answer 5

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