Brain Tumors

By Mudit Sharma, MD

Virginia Spine Specialists

. http://www.virginiaspinespecialists.com/

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Brain Tumors

Being diagnosed with a brain tumor can be a scary and stressful event. Patients usually have many questions about the next steps, types of treatments available and their prognosis. This article will provide an overview of the different types of brain tumors, their diagnosis and the different treatments available for them.
One way to differentiate the tumors of the brain is to divide them into primary tumors and metastatic tumors. Primary tumors arise from within the brain tissues while the metastatic tumors spread to the brain from another place in the body.

The most common types of primary brain tumors include astrocytomas and meningiomas. The aggressiveness of these tumors is determined by their grade. The grade can range from one (least aggressive) to four (most aggressive). The most aggressive astrocytoma is also referred to as a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

The metastatic tumors to the brain spread from other cancers in the body. The most common cancers that spread to the brain are lung, breast, colon, melanoma, renal and thyroid cancer.
Patients with brain tumors may experience a variety of symptoms depending on the size, nature and location of the tumor. The symptoms can be subtle like numbness or mild headaches or they may be dramatic like a seizure or weakness of half the body. When a brain tumor is suspected, the next step is confirming the diagnosis with a brain CT scan or an MRI.

Once the diagnosis of a brain tumor is made, a referral to a neurosurgeon is the next step. The neurosurgeon will perform a physical exam, review the imaging and determine the treatment.

Modern neurosurgery has made some spectacular advances in treating brain tumors. In combination with radiation and medical oncologists, neurosurgeons that specialize in treating these conditions use state of the art operative, medical and radiation techniques to achieve the best possible outcome as minimally invasively as possible.

One of the ways that this is achieved is by using a technique called neuro-navigation which allows a neurosurgeon to precisely localize a tumor. This is almost like using a GPS device for the brain. By using this technique during surgery, a neurosurgeon can determine whether the tumor has been completely removed. This also allows the neurosurgeon to work safely around important brain structures.

Another non-invasive technique to treat brain tumors is called Gamma Knife or Cyberknife. This is a technique in which a neurosurgeon can deliver radiation to the brain tumor with surgical precision and accuracy while protecting the surrounding normal brain.

The diagnosis of a brain tumor does not necessarily have to be a scary one. With the right guidance and treatment, many patients with brain tumors lead long and fulfilling lives.