Brain Tumor Center

Patient and Family Education

Adult Brain Tumor

Treatment Options

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Specific treatment for brain tumors will be determined by a physician based upon several factors, which include:

Patient's age, overall health, and medical history
Type, location, and size of the tumor
Extent of the condition
Patient's tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
Expectations for the course of the condition
Patient's opinion or preference

There are three primary treatment options for patients with adult brain tumor:

Surgery
Radiation Therapy
Chemotherapy

Other treatment options may include steroids to treat and prevent swelling in the brain, anti-seizure medication to treat and prevent seizures associated with intracranial pressure, placement of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VP shunt) to help drain excess fluid that can build up in the brain, lumbar puncture/spinal tap to test pressure in the central nervous system, bone marrow transplantation, supportive care, rehabilitation, antibiotics to treat and prevent infections, and continuous follow-up care to manage the disease and detect any possible recurrence of the tumor.

Surgery

Surgery is the most common treatment of adult brain tumors. To take the cancer out of the brain, the doctor will first cut a part of the bone from the skull to get to the brain. This operation is called a craniotomy.

After the doctor removes the cancer, the bone will be put back or a piece of metal or fabric will be used to cover the opening of the skull. The surgeon will remove as much of the tumor as possible, but complete removal is uncommon because the tumor sends "fingers" into large areas of the brain, and they cannot be easily removed without damaging normal brain tissue.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation Therapy, also called radiotherapy, uses high-energy rays to damage cancer cells and stop them from growing and dividing. It is a local therapy that only affects cancer cells in the treated area.

Radiation may come from a machine (external radiation) or from an implant placed directly into or near a tumor (internal radiation). Radiation given to the brain is called cranial irradiation.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy - treatment with drugs to kill cancer cells. Most anticancer drugs are injected into a vein (IV) or a muscle; some are given by mouth. Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment, meaning that the drugs flow through the bloodstream to nearly every part of the body to kill cancerous cells. It is generally given in cycles; a treatment period is followed by a recovery period, then another treatment period, and so on.

This page was last updated on: November 27, 2009.