Know All The Non-Surgical Treatment Options For Brain Tumor

When abnormal cells grow uncontrollably in the brain, a brain tumor occurs. If the brain tumor originates in the brain, it is referred to as primary. On the other hand, if it happened due to the spread of cancer cells from different body organs, like breasts or lungs, it is secondary.

Primary brain tumors can develop from nerve cells, glands, brain cells, and meninges. Secondary tumors are malignant and occur due to other cancers, like breast cancer, skin cancer, lung cancer, and kidney cancer.

Is Brain Tumor Treatable?

A brain tumor can be treatable if it is benign, i.e., grade 1. However, a grade 2 brain tumor is also treatable, but it depends on a patient’s age and the type of therapeutic methods used. The stage 3 brain tumor is malignant. In these cases, surgery might not always result in a complete cure.

Even after the brain tumor surgery, the brain tumor recurs. The stage 4 brain tumor is life-threatening. Patients who have undergone surgery may have a life expectancy of four to twelve months.

With innovations and cutting-edge technologies, many new methods for brain tumor treatment have been developed to extend a patient’s life without using any surgical process. Below are some non-surgical procedures used to treat a brain tumor.

Non-Surgical Treatment Methods For Brain Tumor

• Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is one of the most effective treatment methods for almost all types of cancer, except a brain tumor. It is a less effective treatment method for a brain tumor because the blood-brain barrier separates the brain and other organs and systems. When chemotherapy is given in the form of injection in a vein or taken orally, the drugs cannot reach tumor cells present in the brain, resulting in less effectiveness.

Chemotherapy for a brain tumor is used if:

• The tumor grows rapidly
• No surgery is performed; chemotherapy with radiation therapy is used
• Surgery is performed; chemotherapy is injected into the brain’s ventricle using a catheter
• A patient is diagnosed with medulloblastoma or lymphoma.

Also Read: MAKING BRAIN SURGERY SAFER: LATEST TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE HELPING TREAT BRAIN TUMORS

• Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is the primary treatment for a brain tumor. This treatment method is a combination of radiation and radiosurgical methods. The radiation method involves external irradiation, and radiosurgical therapy consists of introducing radioactive components to the brain.

Radiation therapy is used:

• As an independent treatment method, if surgery is not performed
• As a palliative treatment to shrink the tumor to a smaller size
• Post-surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence

Some common types of radiation therapies used for the treatment of a brain tumor are:

• Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy
• Stereotactic radiosurgery
• Remote radiation therapy
• Modulated intensity radiotherapy
• Proton therapy of brain tumor

The effectiveness of the radiation therapy entirely depends upon the malevolence of a brain tumor.

• Electro-Field Therapy

Electro-field therapy has proved to be effective in suppressing the tumor cells’ growth without harming the body’s other healthy tissues. In the electro-field treatment method, batteries are attached to a patient’s back, and four electrodes are fixed to the head.

This type of treatment helps to increase a patient’s life expectancy. For a malignant brain tumor, chemotherapy with electro-field therapy is effective.

Also Read: 12 MOST COMMON BRAIN TUMOUR SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

• Targeted Therapy

There are two kinds of targeted therapy to treat a brain tumor:

• Angiogenesis Inhibitors

Angiogenesis inhibitors are effective for glioblastoma. This type of targeted therapy uses monoclonal antibodies to block the vascular endothelial growth factor. When a tumor gets enough nutrients from blood vessels, it overgrows. If the growth factor is blocked, the growth of cancer declines.

• Protein Inhibitors mTOR

Protein inhibitors mTOR is a protein that helps a tumor to grow. This protein is blocked by drugs, which are used to treat astrocytomas. Protein inhibitors mTOR helps increase a patient’s life expectancy.

• Symptomatic Treatment

As every brain tumor is not curable, doctors sometimes try to eliminate significant symptoms for better life quality. Symptomatic treatment is used to eliminate the symptoms of a brain tumor. This treatment includes the below medicines:

• Anticonvulsants
• Corticosteroids
• Hormonal treatment

Conclusion

Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre is one of the most engaged hospitals for providing successful brain tumor operation or surgery. Moreover, this center offers all the above non-surgical treatment methods for a brain tumor.

Also Read: 7 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT BRAIN TUMOR OPERATION

They involve an expert team of specialists that include medical oncologists, neurosurgeons, nurses, radiation oncologists, neurologists, physical therapists, and psychologists for providing effective treatment and brain tumor operation.