A brain tumour is a mass of abnormal tissue growing in any part of the brain. For some unknown reason, some brain cells multiply in an uncontrolled manner and form these tumours. These tumours can arise from any part of the brain, spinal cord or the nerves. The growing mass can cause pressure on the normal brain and interfere with mental and bodily functions.
Some tumours are malignant and can grow with astounding speeds, thereby causing very rapidly deteriorating bodily functions and ever increasing pressure on the normal brain tissue. They need to be treated aggressively to prevent the eventual loss of life. Some examples are malignant brain tumours like High Grade Astrocytoma/Glioma, ependymoma, PNET, medulloblastoma, lymphoma, Germ cell tumours etc.
Surgery is the usual treatment for most brain tumors. To remove a brain tumor, an opening is made in the skull. This operation is called a craniotomy. Whenever possible, attempts are made to remove the entire tumor. If the tumor cannot be completely removed without damaging vital brain tissue, removal of as much tumor as possible is carried out. Partial removal helps to relieve symptoms by reducing pressure on the brain and reduces the amount of tumor to be treated by radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Some tumors cannot be removed. In such cases, only a biopsy is required. A small piece of the tumor is removed so that a pathologist can examine it under a microscope to determine the type of cells it contains. This helps to decide which treatment to use.
Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, is the use of high-powered rays to damage cancer cells and stop them from growing. It is often used to destroy tumor tissue that cannot be removed with surgery or to kill cancer cells that may remain after surgery. Radiation therapy also is used when surgery is not possible. Radiation also can come from radioactive material placed directly in the tumor, or implant radiation therapy. Depending on the material used, the implant may be left in the brain for a short time or permanently. Implants lose a little radioactivity each day. The patient stays in the hospital for several days while the radiation is most active. The Gamma Knife, or stereotactic radiosurgery, is another way to treat brain tumors. The Gamma Knife isn't actually a knife, but a radiation therapy technique that delivers a single, finely focused, high dose of radiation precisely to its target. Treatment is given in just one session. High-energy rays are aimed at the tumor from many angles. In this way, a high dose of radiation reaches the tumor without damaging other brain tissue.
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. The doctor may use just one drug or a combination, usually giving the drugs orally or by injection into a blood vessel or muscle. Intrathecal chemotherapy involves injecting the drugs into the cerebrospinal fluid. Chemotherapy is usually given in cycles. A treatment period is followed by a recovery period, then another treatment period and so on. Patients often don't need to stay in the hospital for treatment and most drugs can be given in the clinic or hospital on an OPD basis.