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Diseases » Brain cancer » Treatments

Treatments for Brain cancer



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Treatments for Brain cancer

The list of treatments mentioned in various sources for Brain cancer includes the following list. Always seek professional medical advice about any treatment or change in treatment plans.

Brain cancer: Is the Diagnosis Correct?

The first step in getting correct treatment is to get a correct diagnosis. Differential diagnosis list for Brain cancer may include:

Hidden causes of Brain cancer may be incorrectly diagnosed:

Brain cancer: Marketplace Products, Discounts & Offers

Products, offers and promotion categories available for Brain cancer:

Brain cancer: Research Doctors & Specialists

Research all specialists including ratings, affiliations, and sanctions.

Drugs and Medications used to treat Brain cancer:

Note:You must always seek professional medical advice about any prescription drug, OTC drug, medication, treatment or change in treatment plans.

Some of the different medications used in the treatment of Brain cancer include:

Unlabeled Drugs and Medications to treat Brain cancer:

Unlabelled alternative drug treatments for Brain cancer include:

Latest treatments for Brain cancer:

The following are some of the latest treatments for Brain cancer:

Hospital statistics for Brain cancer:

These medical statistics relate to hospitals, hospitalization and Brain cancer:

  • 0.12% (15,230) of hospital consultant episodes were for malignant neoplasm of brain in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
  • 86% of hospital consultant episodes for malignant neoplasm of brain required hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
  • 56% of hospital consultant episodes for malignant neoplasm of brain were for men in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
  • 44% of hospital consultant episodes for malignant neoplasm of brain were for women in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
  • more hospital information...»

Hospitals & Medical Clinics: Brain cancer

Research quality ratings and patient incidents/safety measures for hospitals and medical facilities in specialties related to Brain cancer:

Hospital & Clinic quality ratings » »

Choosing the Best Treatment Hospital: More general information, not necessarily in relation to Brain cancer, on hospital and medical facility performance and surgical care quality:

Medical news summaries about treatments for Brain cancer:

The following medical news items are relevant to treatment of Brain cancer:

Discussion of treatments for Brain cancer:

NINDS Brain and Spinal Tumors Information Page: NINDS (Excerpt)

The three most commonly used treatments are surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Doctors also may prescribe steroids to reduce the swelling inside the CNS. (Source: excerpt from NINDS Brain and Spinal Tumors Information Page: NINDS)

What You Need To Know About Brain Tumors: NCI (Excerpt)

Brain tumors are treated with surgery , radiation therapy , and chemotherapy . Depending on the patient's needs, several methods may be used. The patient may be referred to doctors who specialize in different kinds of treatment and work together as a team. This medical team often includes a neurosurgeon , a medical oncologist , a radiation oncologist , a nurse, a dietitian, and a social worker. The patient may also work with a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, and a speech therapist.

Before treatment begins, most patients are given steroids , which are drugs that relieve swelling (edema). They may also be given anticonvulsant medicine to prevent or control seizures. If hydrocephalus is present, the patient may need a shunt to drain the cerebrospinal fluid. A shunt is a long, thin tube placed in a ventricle of the brain and then threaded under the skin to another part of the body, usually the abdomen. It works like a drainpipe: Excess fluid is carried away from the brain and is absorbed in the abdomen. (In some cases, the fluid is drained into the heart.)

Surgery is the usual treatment for most brain tumors. To remove a brain tumor, a neurosurgeon makes an opening in the skull. This operation is called a craniotomy .

Whenever possible, the surgeon attempts to remove the entire tumor. However, if the tumor cannot be completely removed without damaging vital brain tissue, the doctor removes as much of the tumor as possible. Partial removal helps to relieve symptoms by reducing pressure on the brain and reduces the amount of tumor to be treated by radiation therapy or chemotherapy.

Some tumors cannot be removed. In such cases, the doctor may do only a biopsy . A small piece of the tumor is removed so that a pathologist can examine it under a microscope to determine the type of cells it contains. This helps the doctor decide which treatment to use.

Sometimes, a biopsy is done with a needle. Doctors use a special headframe (like a halo) and CT scans or MRI to pinpoint the exact location of the tumor. The surgeon makes a small hole in the skull and then guides a needle to the tumor. (Using this technique to do a biopsy or for treatment is called stereotaxis .)

Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) is the use of high-powered rays to damage cancer cells and stop them from growing. It is often used to destroy tumor tissue that cannot be removed with surgery or to kill cancer cells that may remain after surgery. Radiation therapy is also used when surgery is not possible.

Radiation therapy may be given in two ways. External radiation comes from a large machine. Generally, external radiation treatments are given 5 days a week for several weeks. The treatment schedule depends on the type and size of the tumor and the age of the patient. Giving the total dose of radiation over an extended period helps to protect healthy tissue in the area of the tumor.

Radiation can also come from radioactive material placed directly in the tumor (implant radiation therapy). Depending on the material used, the implant may be left in the brain for a short time or permanently. Implants lose a little radioactivity each day. The patient stays in the hospital for several days while the radiation is most active.

External radiation may be directed just to the tumor and the tissue close to it or, less often, to the entire brain. (Sometimes the radiation is also directed to the spinal cord.) When the whole brain is treated, the patient often receives an extra dose of radiation to the area of the tumor. This boost can come from external radiation or from an implant.

Stereotactic radiosurgery is another way to treat brain tumors. Doctors use the techniques described in the Surgery section to pinpoint the exact location of the tumor. Treatment is given in just one session; high-energy rays are aimed at the tumor from many angles. In this way, a high dose of radiation reaches the tumor without damaging other brain tissue. (This use of radiation therapy is sometimes called the gamma knife .)

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. The doctor may use just one drug or a combination, usually giving the drugs by mouth or by injection into a blood vessel or muscle. Intrathecal chemotherapy involves injecting the drugs into the cerebrospinal fluid.

Chemotherapy is usually given in cycles: a treatment period followed by a recovery period, then another treatment period, and so on. Patients often do not need to stay in the hospital for treatment. Most drugs can be given in the doctor's office or the outpatient clinic of a hospital. However, depending on the drugs used, the way they are given, and the patient's general health, a short hospital stay may be necessary. (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Brain Tumors: NCI)

Book Excerpts: Treatment of Brain cancer

Treatments of Brain cancer: Online Medical Books

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the treatments of Brain cancer.

Malignant brain tumors: Treatment
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

Treatment includes removing a resectable tumor; reducing a nonresectable tumor; relieving cerebral edema, increased ICP, and other symptoms; and preventing further neurologic damage.

The mode of therapy depends on the tumor's histologic type, radiosensitivity, and location and may include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or decompression of increased ICP with diuretics, cortico-steroids, or possibly ventriculoatrial or ventriculoperitoneal shunting of CSF.

A glioma usually requires resection by craniotomy, followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy. The combination of nitrosoureas (carmustine [BCNU], lomustine [CCNU], or procarbazine) and postoperative radiation is more effective than radiation alone.

Surgical resection of low-grade cystic cerebellar astrocytomas brings long-term survival. Treatment of other astrocytomas includes repeated surgery, radiation therapy, and shunting of fluid from obstructed CSF pathways. Some astrocytomas are highly radiosensitive, but others are radioresistant.

Treatment of oligodendrogliomas and ependymomas includes resection and radiation therapy; for medulloblastomas, resection and possibly intrathecal infusion of methotrexate or another antineoplastic drug. Meningiomas require resection, including dura mater and bone (operative mortality may reach 10% because of large tumor size).

For schwannomas, microsurgical technique allows complete resection of the tumor and preservation of facial nerves. Although schwannomas are moderately radioresistant, postoperative radiation therapy is necessary.

Chemotherapy for malignant brain tumors includes the nitrosoureas that help break down the blood-brain barrier and allow other chemotherapeutic drugs to go through as well. Intrathecal and intra-arterial administration of drugs maximizes drug actions.

Palliative measures for gliomas, astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas, and ependymomas include dexamethasone for cerebral edema; osmotic diuretics, such as urea and mannitol, to reduce brain swelling; analgesics to control pain; and antacids and histamine receptor antagonists for stress ulcers. These tumors and schwannomas may also require anticonvulsants such as phenytoin to reduce seizures.

» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005

Malignant spinal neoplasms: Treatment
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

Treatment of spinal cord tumors generally includes decompression or radiation. Laminectomy is indicated for primary tumors that produce spinal cord or cauda equina compression; it isn't usually indicated for metastatic tumors. If the tumor is slowly progressive or if it's treated before the cord degenerates from compression, symptoms are likely to disappear, and complete restoration of function is possible. In a patient with metastatic carcinoma or lymphoma who suddenly experiences complete transverse myelitis with spinal shock, functional improvement is unlikely, even with treatment, and his outlook is ominous. If the patient has incomplete paraplegia of rapid onset, emergency surgical decompression may save cord function. Steroid therapy with dexamethasone minimizes cord edema and temporarily relieves symptoms until surgery can be performed. Partial removal of intramedullary gliomas, followed by radiation, may alleviate symptoms for a short time. Metastatic extradural tumors can be controlled with radiation, analgesics and, in the case of hormone-mediated tumors (breast and prostate), appropriate hormone therapy. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) may control radicular pain from spinal cord tumors and is a useful alternative to opioid analgesics. In TENS, an electrical charge is applied to the skin to stimulate large-diameter nerve fibers and thereby inhibit transmission of pain impulses through small-diameter nerve fibers. Chemotherapy generally hasn't proven effective against most spinal tumors, but may be recommended in some cases.

» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005

Brain tumors, malignant: Treatment
(Handbook of Diseases)

Remedial approaches include removing a resectable tumor; reducing a nonresectable tumor; relieving cerebral edema, increased ICP, and other signs and symptoms; and preventing further neurologic damage.

The mode of therapy depends on the tumor’s histologic type, radiosensitivity, and location and may include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or decompression of increased ICP with a diuretic, corticosteroid or, possibly, ventriculoatrial or ventriculoperitoneal shunting of CSF.

❑ Gliomas. Treatment usually requires resection by craniotomy, followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy. The combination of nitrosoureas (carmustine [BCNU], lomustine [CCNU], or procarbazine) and postoperative radiation is more effective than radiation alone.

❑ Astrocytomas. Surgical resection of low-grade cystic cerebellar astrocytomas brings long-term survival. Treatment of other astrocytomas includes repeated surgery, radiation therapy, and shunting of fluid from obstructed CSF pathways. Some astrocytomas are highly radiosensitive, but others are radioresistant.

❑ Oligodendrogliomas and ependymomas. Treatment includes resection and radiation therapy.

❑ Medulloblastomas. Treatment involves resection and, possibly, intrathecal infusion of methotrexate or another antineoplastic.

❑ Meningiomas. Treatment requires resection, including dura mater and bone (operative mortality may reach 10% because of large tumor size).

❑ Schwannomas. Microsurgical technique allows complete resection of the tumor and preservation of facial nerves. Although schwannomas are moderately radioresistant, postoperative radiation therapy is necessary.

Chemotherapy for malignant brain tumors includes a nitrosourea to help break down the blood-brain barrier and permit other chemotherapeutic drugs to go through as well. Intrathecal and intra-arterial administration of drugs maximizes drug action.

Palliative measures for gliomas, astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas, and ependymomas include dexamethasone for cerebral edema and an antacid and a histamine-receptor antagonist for stress ulcers. These tumors and schwannomas may also require an anticonvulsant.

» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003


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