What is a Brain Tumor?
Normally, cells only grow and multiply when the body needs/tells them to. Once they have served their purpose, the cell then dies and the process repeats. Tumor cells do not follow this path. Tumor cells grow and multiply uncontrollably. The normal functions in the body that tell normal cells to stop growing/multiplying are ignored. Cancerous tumor cells can migrate into different parts of the body to grow and multiply, which is called metastasis. Brain tumors are diagnosed using CT and/or MRI. High tech imaging is used to evaluate the tumor, see normal structures surrounding the tumor, and plan if/how the tumor will be removed. PET scans can help evaluate if a tumor has grown back again. Tumors are graded from 1-4 based on the type of tumor and its characteristics.
How is a Brain Tumor Treated?
Tumors can be treated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and/or surgery. These treatment methods can be used alone or in conjunction with each other. Chemotherapy works by administering anti-cancer drugs composed of potent chemicals that damage and kill tumor cells. Radiation uses high-energy x-rays targeted at the tumor. Radiation can be used to kill the tumor or make it smaller. This option is helpful if the tumor is too big to surgically remove. When able, the best option is to remove the tumor completely by undergoing surgery. The goal of removing the tumor (using a craniotomy) is to remove the cancerous cells while leaving as much of the surrounding tissue untouched as possible. If a biopsy is needed to evaluate the tumor, this can be done with a burr hole instead of temporarily removing part of the skull. A burr hole is a hole drilled into the skull allowing the surgeon to go in and biopsy the tumor in a less invasive way.