Brain Tumour Treatment

Before initiating treatment for a brain tumour, several tests are conducted to identify the exact location of the tumour. Additionally, the doctors determine with the help of tests whether the tumour is cancerous or non-cancerous.

The patient will be advised to undergo a couple of routine blood tests and undergo an electrocardiography (ECG) test to check for the normal functioning of the heart. Certain additional tests such as CT scan and MRI are also conducted.

Before the tumour removals surgery, the patient is mostly given steroids to control edema and swelling. An anticonvulsant medicine may also be given to control the occurrence of seizures.

Patients who also suffer from an accumulation of fluid in the brain due to the tumour (hydrocephalus) may need a shunt to drain it first. A shunt works like a drain pipe that removes the fluid from the brain and either drains it into the abdomen or the heart, where it is absorbed.

The procedural details depend on the type of treatment that the patient is recommended to undergo. A surgery is almost always recommended for brain tumor patients. TO remove the tumor in the brain, the surgeon first opens the skull, a procedure known as a craniotomy.

During the surgery, the aim of the surgeon is to remove as much tumor as possible without affecting the nearby tissues. Partial tumor removal is carried out in some patients to reduce the size of the tumor to make sure that it can be treated with radiation therapy or chemotherapy.

The tumor is left as in some patients. In such cases, the doctor only removes a sample of the tumor tissue for a biopsy. The biopsy in the case of brain tumor patients is mostly conducted with the help of a needle. During this procedure, the tissue sample is looked under a microscope to identify the type of cells that it has. Accordingly, the doctors advise a course of treatment.

Radiation therapy is another treatment modality used in the case of patients with brain cancer and tumors that cannot be removed through surgery. Additionally, it is also used to destroy tumor cells that could not be removed during surgery.

External radiation therapy, internal radiation therapy, and GammaKnife or stereotactic radiosurgery are some of the forms of radiation therapies commonly used to treatment brain tumor patients.

Chemotherapy is the third treatment used for a brain tumor. It involves the use of a specific combination of drugs to kills cancer cells. These drugs are mostly administered intravenously and the patients are not required to stay in the hospital for this procedure. Chemotherapy is administered in cycles.

After a surgery for brain tumor removal, the patients need extra time to heal fully. Additionally, it may take a few months for the patient to return back to normal energy levels. The total time taken by the patient to recover, however, depends on several factors. This may include the following:

• The duration of treatment
• The number and type of treatment modalities used
• Patient’s age and overall health
• The exact location of the tumor in the brain
• The area of the brain affected by tumor
• The exact length of hospital stay after the surgery may vary among patients. However, a five to six-day stay is the most common among patients. The patients are carefully monitored during this period. A team of occupational, physical, and speech therapists helps with the rehabilitation of the patient during the recovery phase.