How often should a benign tumor be checked?

A fellow caregiver asked...

How often should a benign tumor of the frontal lobe be checked?

Expert Answer

Andrew Putnam, M.D. is a Palliative Care physician at Smilow Cancer Center at Yale New Haven Hospital and Yale University.

It is important to be sure that the tumor is in fact benign and so at least an MRI with contrast should be done. Some tumors in the brain can be very slow growing and only appear benign. If the oncologist is sure that it is a benign tumor, then probably at the start, every 3 months would be reasonable to check the tumor. After maybe a year it might be reasonable to slowly stretch out the time allowed between check-ups. It is important to keep a close eye on things at the start and to be sure that the tumor is benign.