Surgery involves a craniotomy (removal of a portion of the skull), dissection and total or partial tumor resection (removal). The objective is two-fold: to remove or lessen the “tumor burden” (the number of active malignant cells); b) to reduce the “mass effect” (pain or functional impairment due to effect on adjacent brain structures).
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Surgery is typically indicated for primary brain tumor patients if the patient can tolerate it, if the tumor mass can be reduced substantially, if functional improvement can be achieved, and/or risk of collateral damage is acceptable. For metastatic tumors surgery is often indicated instead of, or in conjunction with, stereotactic radiosurgery.
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Surgery is by nature highly invasive and risky. Surgery is often only partially effective for some tumors. In other tumors it may not be feasible at all, may risk impairment, may not be tolerable by the patient, and/or may involve significant cost and recovery.
Brain Cancer
