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Brain Tumor Treatment

Brain tumor treatment depends on type and location, often involving surgery to remove the tumor, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Early diagnosis and multidisciplinary care enhance recovery, minimizing neurological impacts and improving patient outcomes.

  • 07 Jan 2025
  • 5 min read
  • 42 views

A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of cells in or around the brain. tumors can be benign(non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).

Brain tumors can be both slow-growing or fast-multiplying. Although only one-third of brain tumors are cancerous, they can affect your health if they grow large enough to exert pressure on surrounding nerves, blood vessels and tissue.

Tumors developing within the brain are called primary tumors. In contrast, the ones that spread to your brain after forming elsewhere in your body are called secondary or metastatic brain tumors.

Treatment of Brain Tumor

Treatment of brain tumor  depends on various factors, namely:

  • Location, size and type
  • Tumors’ count
  • Age
  • Overall health condition

A brain tumor treatment begins with conducting a series of tests and examinations to clarify the state and the stage of the brain tumor. Here is step by step process of examination:

Benign brain tumors can be successfully removed with surgery and don't relapse in most cases if your neurosurgeon can remove all the tumor cells at once. While adults' brains can tolerate this treatment, which includes radiation therapy, it may prevent the normal development of a child's brain, especially if the patient is younger than age five.

Doctors mostly use a combination of treatments to treat a tumor, which may include:

Brain surgery (craniotomy): If removable, neurosurgeons often remove the tumor, performing surgery while your body is made numb to ensure you won't feel the pain. This state of the patient is intentionally chosen to minimise damage to functional areas of the brain.

Radiation therapy: In this treatment, high doses of X-rays are made to pass through the brain to destroy brain tumor cells or shrink them.

Radiosurgery: This radiation therapy type uses very focused beams of radiation (gamma rays or proton beams) to destroy a tumor. It's not surgery because it doesn't require an incision (cut).

Brachytherapy: In this form of radiation therapy, the surgical placing of radioactive seeds, capsules or other implants are done directly in or near the cancerous tumor.

Chemotherapy: Under this treatment of brain tumors, anticancer drugs that kill cancer cells in your brain and throughout your body are injected into a vein or taken as a pill. Healthcare professionals may recommend chemotherapy after surgery to kill any left-out cancer cells or retard the remaining tumor cells' growth.

Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy, or biological therapy, uses your body's immune system to fight cancer. This treatment mainly involves stimulating your immune system to boost its stamina to fight back cancer cell growth within the body.

Targeted therapy: With this treatment, drugs target specific features in cancer cells without harming healthy cells. It is recommended if your body is incapable of tolerating the side effects of chemotherapy, like fatigue and nausea.

Diligent watch/active surveillance: A minimal and no symptoms causing tumor cell is often closely monitored for signs of growth with regular testing.

Other treatments that are used to relieve brain tumor-affected patients include:

Shunts: If the tumor causes pressure within your skull to increase, a shunt (a thin piece of tubing) is surgically placed in your brain to drain excess cerebrospinal fluid.

Drugs such as mannitol and corticosteroids can reduce pressure within your skull, curing swelling around the tumor.

Under the specialised Palliative care form, professionals offer symptom relief, comfort and support to people with serious illnesses. This brain cancer treatment intends to support caregivers and families of cancer patients.

Conclusion

Although you can't prevent a brain tumor, reducing the risk of its development is feasible by avoiding environmental hazards such as smoking and excessive radiation exposure.

If your biological relative (sibling or parent) has been diagnosed with a brain tumor, regular check with a healthcare provider is a must. The inherited genetic syndrome associated with brain tumors must be detected early to prevent it from deteriorating.

If detected, the brain tumor treatment cost is a problematic matter. Health insurance is a reliable solution in such and many more health-related situations. With sound health insurance, you can effectively cover the treatment cost of a brain tumor, including its surgery.

 

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult your general physician or another certified medical professional for any questions regarding a medical condition. Relying on any information provided in this blog is solely at your own risk, and ICICI Lombard is not responsible for any effects or consequences resulting from the use of the information shared.

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