Women Twice As Likely to Develop Benign Tumors

No one wants to hear they have a tumor, but sometimes, a benign tumor can sound less terrifying.

While benign tumors can still be dangerous, radiation may help. Researchers say women are more than twice as likely to develop non-cancerous meningiomas, and some benign tumors may be influenced by hormones.

According to Dr. Kelly Orwat, a board-certified radiation oncologist and associate director of Radiation Oncology at Mercy, benign tumors can sometimes occur in an area where surgery is not ideal, like in the brain, so that’s when radiation may be a good treatment for a patient.

“One thing people don’t think of often, and I don’t see very often, is Graves’ disease of the eye. So, we’re the second line of treatment for that, meaning steroids, conservative management is first. But I have treated a few patients for that, and the outcomes are great,” Dr. Orwat said.

Trigeminal neuralgia, a chronic pain disorder that can cause sudden, severe, electric shock-like pain on one side of the face, is another condition that she sees more often in women than in men.

Stereotactic radiosurgery can be performed, which is a single radiation treatment, and it’s non-invasive, so it’s much safer. Dr. Orwat noted that every patient and condition has an individualized treatment plan.

View Mercy radiation oncologist Dr. Kelly Orwat’s interview regarding radiation treatment for benign tumors in women.