| There is no single treatment effective for all brain tumors. Physicians – neurosurgeons, neuro-oncologists, neuro-radiologists – employ several treatment strategies, often in combination, depending on the type of tumor, stage of advancement, location in the brain, patient, previous history, overall patient health and other factors. |
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Surgery. Removes all or a portion of the tumor mass. Involves removing a portion of the skull (“craniotomy”), dissecting a path to the tumor and surgical removal of the tumor (“resection”).
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Radiosurgery or Stereotactic Radiosurgery. Kills the tumor mass by using radiation to alter the DNA of the tumor and cause eventual cell death. Involves focusing multiple radiation beams precisely on the tumor so that only the tumor receives lethal radiation dosage, while healthy surrounding tissue receives only tolerable levels.
May be limited by cumulative radiation dosage tolerance.
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Radiation. Kills the tumor and residual tumor cells by using radiation to alter the DNA of the tumor and cause eventual cell death. Involves applying radiation to broad regions in the brain, including both diseased and healthy brain cells.
May be limited by cumulative radiation dosage tolerance.
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Chemotherapy. Kills the tumor and residual tumor cells with toxic drugs. Involves systemic (IV) application or direct infusion to the tumor region. Efficacy can be limited by blood brain barrier, by variable blood perfusion in or around tumors and / or
the body’s ability to tolerate toxicity of the drugs.
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Thermal Therapy. Heat (hyperthermia) and cold (cryogenics) cause immediate cell death of all exposed tissue. Very effective in extra-cranial cancer treatments, but rarely used for brain applications because of inability to focus and limit effects to the tumor without damaging surrounding healthy tissue.
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Brain Cancer
