“a small, benign tumor tucked in his pancreas, which they said may have been lurking there for 15 to 20 years.”
So if it’s “small and benign” and caused no problems in two decades... why excise it? Asking a surgeon whether something should be cut out is analogous to asking a barber whether he recommends a haircut. Being a surgery in-patient at the hospital is one of most dangerous places to be due to possible infections, blood clots, medical error etc. etc.
Even a benign tumor in the wrong places could make things bad. One in your pancreas could maybe damage insulin production.
My mom had an MRI recently and it showed a very small cyst on her pancreas, in 2019 it wasnt there and now it is so her doc told her to do a recheck every year, that its common in older folks but still a good idea to check
“”So if it’s “small and benign” and caused no problems in two decades... why excise it? “”
Exactly my first thought.
Love your answer. You're now my go to guy whenever I have to give any serious considerations to medical procedures.
We're lucky to have you on board this website.......
How do they know it’s been in him for 2 decades? Did he have a scan in 2005 that showed a dot of a tumor?