How Is Brain Cancer Treated

How Is A Diagnosis Made

First, the doctor will obtain your personal and family medical history and perform a complete physical examination. In addition to checking your general health, the doctor performs a neurological exam to check mental status and memory, cranial nerve function , muscle strength, coordination, reflexes, and response to pain. Additional tests may include:

• Audiometry, a hearing test performed by an audiologist, detects hearing loss due to tumors near the cochlear nerve .
• An endocrine evaluation measures hormone levels in your blood or urine to detect abnormal levels caused by pituitary tumors .
• A visual field acuity test is performed by a neuro-ophthalmologist to detect vision loss and missing areas in your field of view.
• A lumbar puncture may be performed to examine cerebrospinal fluid for tumor cells, proteins, infection, and blood.

Imaging tests

Biopsy

Biomarkers or genetic mutations found in the tumor may help determine prognosis. These include: IDH1, IDH2, MGMT, and 1p/19q co-deletion.

Figure 4.

Home Care For Brain Cancer

When you have brain cancer, your health care team will discuss details about home care with you and your family members. This could include:

• Physical therapists. They can help if you have trouble walking or moving.
• Occupational therapists. Can teach you how to use equipment to help with daily activities.
• Speech therapists. Can help with problems related to speaking and swallowing.
• Home health aides. Theyâre specially trained to help with personal care tasks like bathing, dressing, and eating.
• Nurses. Can give medicines, provide wound care, and keep an eye on your side effects.
• Home hospice care. Provides pain and symptom relief, as well as emotional and spiritual support for you and your family, at home rather than in the hospital. It may include a doctor, nurses, a pharmacist, aides, a social worker, a spiritual caregiver, and counselors.
• Advance directives. These legal documents provide a way for you to express your wishes for treatment and choose the person you want to make decisions on your behalf if you canât. Types of advance directives include a living will and durable power of attorney for health care. For example, you may not want to be put on a ventilator if you stop breathing. You have the right to make these decisions for yourself as long as youâre mentally competent.

Show Sources

What Causes Brain Tumors

Researchers know brain tumors develop when certain genes on the chromosomes of a cell are damaged and no longer function properly, but they arent sure why this happens. Your DNA in your chromosomes tells cells throughout your body what to do it tells them when to grow, when to divide or multiply and/or when to die.

When brain cell DNA changes, it gives your brain cells new instructions. Your body develops abnormal brain cells that grow and multiply faster than normal and sometimes live longer than normal. When that happens, the ever-growing crowd of abnormal cells takes over space in your brain.

In some cases, a person may be born with changes in one or more of these genes. Environmental factors, such as exposure to large amounts of radiation from X-rays or previous cancer treatment, may then lead to further damage.

In other cases, the environmental injury to the genes may be the only cause.

There are a few rare, inherited genetic syndromes that are associated with brain tumors, including:

These changes can point to the part of your brain that may be affected by a tumor.

If your healthcare provider suspects you may have a brain tumor, a brain scan, most often an MRI, is usually the next step.

Don’t Miss: Mental Health Benefits Of Exercise

Cracking The Mystery Behind A Deadly Brain Cancer

by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

The brain cancer, glioblastoma, is a fierce and formidable opponent. Its millions of victims include Senator John McCain, President Biden’s son, Beau, and famed film critic Gene Siskel, to name just a few. Most patients succumb within two years and few make it past five, a statistic that hasn’t improved in decades due to lack of effective treatment options.

“The aggressiveness of glioblastoma is notorious,” says Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Professor Alea Mills. “The norm is to do surgery, treat with harsh drugs, and just hope for the best.” But now, Mills and her colleagues have discovered in this deadly cancer a vulnerability, known as BRD8, that may finally lead to new treatment options and better patient outcomes.

The CSHL team recently solved a decades-old mystery surrounding glioblastoma’s aggressiveness by linking the BRD8 protein to another protein, named P53. A staple in the body’s natural cancer defenses, P53 prevents cells from overgrowing and turning into tumors. Almost all cancers depend on P53 becoming mutated and thus disabled. But weirdly, in the majority of glioblastoma cases, P53 is unscathed. “So why does this cancer act like P53 is broken?” asked CSHL postdoctoral fellow Xueqin Sun. This critical question led Mills’ team to discover that BRD8 had gone rogue in glioblastoma, crippling P53 in a completely new way.

More information:Nature

Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy

Laser Thermal Ablation is a newer technique that some centers are using to treat smaller tumors particularly in areas that may be more difficult to reach using previous open surgery procedures. This involves placing a tiny catheter within the lesion, possibly completing a biopsy, then using laser to thermally ablate the lesion. This technique is only more recently used in brain tumor treatments, therefore the long term efficacy has not been established.

Read Also: Vitamins For Brain Health And Memory

Brain Cancer Survival Rate

Survival rates in brain cancer vary widely. The major things that influence survival are the type of cancer, its location, whether it started in your brain or spread there from somewhere else in your body, whether it can be surgically removed or reduced in size, your age, and other medical problems.

After A Diagnosis Of Brain Cancer

After finding out you have brain cancer, you may feel shocked, upset, anxious or confused. These are normal responses. A diagnosis of brain cancer affects each person differently. For most it will be a difficult time, however some people manage to continue with their normal daily activities.

Your specialist will arrange for a range of health professionals to plan your treatment. This will be based on several factors including the type, size, location and genetic make-up of the cancer as well as, your age and general health, the types of symptoms you have and your needs and preferences.

Find out more about the best cancer care for brain cancer:

You May Like: Ct Vs Mri Brain Scan

What Is Brain Cancer

Primary brain cancer, also known simply as brain cancer, is an overgrowth of cells in your brain that forms masses called brain tumors. This is different than cancer which starts in another part of your body and spreads to your brain. When that happens, its called secondary or metastasized brain cancer.

Some types of cancerous brain tumors can grow very quickly. These malignant tumors can disrupt the way your body works. Brain tumors can be life threatening and need to be treated as soon as theyre detected.

Brain cancer is quite uncommon. According to estimates from the American Cancer Society, people have

Working With Your Healthcare Team

It’s important to know which medicines you’re taking. Write your medicines down, ask your healthcare team how they work, and what side effects they might have. Keep a written diary of your treatment schedule and any signs or symptoms you have.

Talk with your healthcare providers about what signs to look for, and when to call them. Chemotherapy can make you more likely to get infections.

It may be helpful to keep a diary of your side effects. Write down physical, thinking, and emotional changes. A written list will make it easier for you to remember your questions when you go to your appointments. It will also make it easier for you to work with your medical team to make a plan to manage your side effects.

Don’t Miss: Mindfulness Activities For Virtual Meetings

What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Brain Tumors

Some people who have a brain tumor experience no symptoms, especially if its very small.

Signs and symptoms of a brain tumor vary depending on the tumors location, size and type. They can include:

• Headaches that may be more severe in the morning or wake you up at night.

Its important to see your healthcare provider if youre experiencing these symptoms.

How A Brain Tumor Is Treated

In brain tumor care, different types of doctors often work together to create a patients overall treatment plan that combines different types of treatment. This is called a multidisciplinary team. Your care team may include a variety of other health care professionals, such as physician assistants, nurse practitioners, oncology nurses, social workers, pharmacists, counselors, dietitians, rehabilitation specialists, and others. It is important to have a care team that specializes in caring for people with a brain tumor, which may mean talking with medical professionals beyond your local area to help with diagnosis and treatment planning.

The common types of treatments used for a brain tumor are described below. Your care plan may also include treatment for symptoms and side effects, an important part of your medical care.

Treatment options and recommendations depend on several factors:

• The size, type, and grade of the tumor

• Whether the tumor is putting pressure on vital parts of the brain

• If the tumor has spread to other parts of the CNS or body

• Possible side effects

• The patients preferences and overall health

Some types of brain tumors grow rapidly other tumors grow slowly. Considering all these factors, your doctor will talk with you about how soon treatment should start after diagnosis.

Treatment options include those described below, such as surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy.

Also Check: Gorilla Mind Smooth Vs Alpha Brain

Brain Cancer Treatment Overview

Treatment of brain cancer is usually complex. Most treatment plans involve several doctors. Your team might include:

• Radiation oncologists
• Your primary doctor

Your team may also include a dietitian, a social worker, a physical therapist, and other specialists.

The most widely used treatments are surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. In most cases, more than one of these is used.

The treatment you get will depend on:

• The type of tumor
• The size and location of the tumor
• Your age and overall health
• The risks of a particular treatment
• Other medical problems you have
• The treatment you most prefer

How Is Chemotherapy Given For Brain Tumors

Chemotherapy medicine can be given in several ways:

• As pills taken by mouth

• Into a vein in the arm

• Directly into the cerebrospinal fluid that bathes the brain

• As a dissolvable wafer with the medicine carmustine placed on or next to a tumor during surgery

Healthcare providers usually give chemotherapy in cycles. That means you take the medicines for a certain amount of time. Then you have time off to recover. This pattern will continue over the course of the treatment. You may have treatment in 1 of these places:

• The outpatient part of your hospital

• A doctors office

Recommended Reading: Signs Of Lack Of Oxygen To Brain

Can Brain Tumors Be Prevented

Unfortunately, you cant prevent a brain tumor. You can reduce your risk of developing a brain tumor by avoiding environmental hazards such as smoking and excessive radiation exposure.

If you have a first-degree biological relative who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor, its important to tell your healthcare provider. They may recommend genetic counseling to see if you have an inherited genetic syndrome thats associated with brain tumors.

Recovery And After Effects

After treatment, you might have some lasting problems, such as:

• walking difficulties
• speech problems

You may need treatment and support like occupational therapy and physiotherapy to help you recover or adapt to any problems.

It’s important to follow a healthy lifestyle to lower your risk of stroke.

This means stopping smoking if you smoke, following a healthy diet and doing regular exercise.

You may be able to gradually return to your normal activities as you recover, although some things may need to be avoided for life.

Also Check: Steven Pinker How The Mind Works

How Serious Are Brain Tumors

Brain tumors whether cancerous or not can cause serious problems. This is because your skull is rigid and doesnt provide room for the tumor to expand. Also, if a tumor develops near parts of your brain that control vital functions, it may cause symptoms, such as:

Brain tumors can cause problems by:

• Directly invading and destroying healthy brain tissue.
• Putting pressure on nearby tissue.
• Increasing pressure within your skull .
• Causing fluid to build up in your brain.
• Blocking the normal flow of cerebrospinal fluid through the spaces within your brain, causing those spaces to enlarge.

However, some people have brain tumors that never cause symptoms or grow large enough to compress surrounding tissues.

Living Better With Brain Cancer

Researchers and clinicians at Johns Hopkins are increasingly focused on ensuring that patients with brain tumors can live as comfortably as possible and enjoy the activities they care about most. Meet Tori, whose surgeons developed a treatment plan to preserve her eyesight and allow her to continue doing the things most important to her.

You May Like: Most Common Pediatric Brain Tumor

Brain Cancer Clinical Trials

Researchers use clinical trials to test the effects of new medications on a group of volunteers with brain cancer. They follow strict rules and create carefully controlled conditions to figure out how well the drug treats brain cancer, how safe it is, and if there are any side effects.

If you join a clinical trial, you might get a new therapy that may be more effective than existing therapies or have fewer side effects. The disadvantage is that the new therapy has not been proven to work or may not work in everyone.

To find out more about clinical trials, ask your oncologist. Or check these sites for information and services to help you find a clinical trial thatâs right for you.

• TrialCheck. Lets you search for cancer trials based on disease and location.
• National Cancer Institute. Lists more than 12,000 cancer clinical trials, along with descriptions, eligibility criteria, and instructions on what to do when you find one you think is right for you.
• ClinicalTrials.gov. Offers up-to-date information on clinical trials in the U.S. and around the world.
• CenterWatch. Lists industry-sponsored clinical trials.

Delivering Other Treatments During Brain Cancer Surgery

Other treatments may be performed at the time of surgical resection. For example, local chemotherapy, also known as BCNU, targets chemotherapy to the brain tumor and resection area, helping reduce side effects related to systemic chemotherapy, such as nausea and vomiting.Another treatment under investigational use for brain cancer treatment is intraoperative radiation therapy . With this technology, radiation is delivered directly to the area of the tumor resection during surgery, helping avoid damage to adjacent normal structures, particularly the scalp and the skin on the scalp. The IORT is typically delivered via brachytherapy, electron beams or X-rays.

Recommended Reading: How Africa Shaped The Christian Mind

What Questions Should I Ask My Doctor About A Brain Tumor Diagnosis

If youve been diagnosed with a brain tumor, it may be helpful to ask your healthcare provider the following questions:

• Is the tumor malignant or benign?
• What kind of tumor do I have?
• What type of treatment is best for me?
• Will my treatment cause side effects?
• What type of specialists will be part of my care?
• Whats my prognosis?

Brain Cancer Patient Given Months To Live Shares How He Finds Hope

LITTLETON, Colo. To spend a morning with the Stahlman family is to spend a morning in a place you immediately feel at home. For a family that is no stranger to grief, theyve made sure to keep hope above all.

Kelly and Bruce Stahlman had three sons. Their twins, Mark and Eric, both lived with physical and mental challenges.

We had two kids in power chairs. Two with feeding tubes. One trach vent, one with the speech computer, said Kelly Stahlman.

The twins passed just one year apart. Mark passed in 2014, and Eric passed in 2015.

No parent should bury their kids, said Bruce Stahlman. I mean, having and losing children is.I don’t think anything’s tougher than that.

As their grieving hearts began to heal, along came another hurdle in 2018.

You kept falling asleep at weird places, Kelly Stahlman said, recalling Bruces symptoms.

They weren’t weird. They were comfortable! joked Bruce Stahlman.

Bruce was tired and had bad headaches and balance issues. When the symptoms wouldnt stop, they went to the hospital for an MRI.

An hour afterwards, the attending physician comes in and says, ‘You have a large mass in your head. We’re admitting into the ICU,’ recalled Bruce Stahlman.

Bruce Stahlman was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma.

This is one of the most aggressive cancers on the planet it’s very fast and very wicked, said Kelly Stahlman.

Bruce Stahlman was given months to live, but that was four years ago.

Also Check: The Power Of Mental Discipline

What Happens During Radiation Therapy

For conventional radiation therapy, you will consult with a radiation oncologist a doctor who specializes in radiation therapy. During the first visit, the oncologist will review the history of your illness and perform a physical exam. You may consult with other members of your treatment team at this time, too.

After you and your doctor decide on a course of treatment, you will begin treatment planning. During this first treatment planning phase, a radiation oncologist will simulate your radiation therapy treatment using either conventional x-rays or a CT scan. Most cases will require an MRI scan. Doctors use these exams to plan the type and direction of radiation beams they will use to treat the cancer.

You will need to lie still on the treatment table during simulation, although no radiation therapy will be given at that point. The treatment team will usually create an immobilization mask at this time to prevent head movement. Typically, treatment begins one to two weeks after your treatment planning session. Planning and verifying your treatment plan will require significant medical physics before you begin treatment.

For more information about specific radiation therapy procedures and equipment, visit the following pages: