Other treatment options
for brain cancers and abnormalities
In addition to Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery there are different management options in the treatment of brain tumours.
Treatment for a brain tumour will depend on its nature, size, location and the general health of the patient.
Treatment plans are developed to offer patients the highest chance of obliterating the lesion – the area of abnormal tissue – with minimal risk.
The type of treatment that can be used includes:
- Surgery
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy
- Biological medicine or
- A combination of these.
Open neurosurgery
If the brain tumour is accessible, the surgeon will remove as much of the brain tumour as possible through traditional surgery with a scalpel. Sometimes tumours are easy to separate from surrounding brain tissue. In other cases, tumours cannot be separated from surrounding tissue, or they are too close to sensitive areas in the brain. The surgeon will remove as much of the tumour as is safe. Even removing a portion of the tumour can help reduce signs and symptoms.
Surgery to remove a brain tumour carries risks, including infection and bleeding. Risks also depend on where the tumour is located in the brain. For example, a tumour close to the nerves near the eyes may carry a risk of vision loss.
Risks
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill tumour cells. Chemotherapy is taken orally or intravenously (through a vein). The type of chemotherapy drug used depends on the type of cancer. The type of brain tumour usually determines whether chemotherapy is a suitable treatment.
Chemotherapy may cause hair loss, nausea and vomiting.
Side effects
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy uses high-energy beams (x-rays or protons) to kill tumour cells.
External beam radiation can focus just on the area of your brain where the tumour is located, or it can be applied to your entire brain (whole-brain radiation). Whole-brain radiation is most often used to treat cancer that spreads to the brain from some other part of the body and forms multiple tumours in the brain.
Side effects of radiation therapy depend on the type and dose of radiation. Common side effects during or after radiation include headaches, fatigue, scalp irritation and memory loss.
Radiation can also be placed inside the body, close to the brain tumour. This is called brachytherapy.
Side effects
Biological medicine
Biological therapy is a type of treatment that uses the body’s immune system to destroy cancer cells.