 Overview
Coping
Adult brain tumor is a disease in which malignant cells begin to grow in the tissues of the brain. The brain controls memory and learning, senses (hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch), and emotion. It also controls other parts of the body, including muscles, organs, and blood vessels.
Often cancer found in the brain has started somewhere else in the body and has spread (metastasized) to the brain. This is called brain metastasis.
A doctor should be seen if the following symptoms appear: frequent headaches, vomiting, or difficulty walking or speaking.
If there are symptoms, a doctor may order a computed tomographic scan, a special X-ray that uses a computer to make a picture of the brain. A magnetic resonance imaging scan, which uses magnetic waves to make a picture of the brain, may also be done. Often surgery is required to determine if there is a brain tumor and to see what type of tumor it is.
The chance of recovery and choice of treatment depend on the type of brain tumor and the patient's general state of health.
Surgery is the most common treatment of adult brain tumors. To take out the cancer from the brain, a doctor will cut a part of the bone from the skull to get to the brain. This operation is called a craniotomy. After the doctor removes the cancer, the bone will be put back or a piece of metal or fabric will be used to cover the opening in the skull.
Radiation therapy uses x-rays produced by a machine called a linear accelerator to kill cancer cells from the outside and shrink tumors (external-beam radiation therapy). Radiation therapy may also be used by putting materials that produce radiation (radioisotopes) through thin plastic tubes into the tumor to kill cancer cells from the inside (internal radiation therapy).
For information about side effects, see What you should know about radiation to the head.
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be taken by pill, or it may be put into the body by a needle in the vein or muscle. Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the bloodstream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer cells throughout the body.
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Chemotherapy and You
Information about what to expect during chemotherapy and what patients can do to take care of themselves during and after treatment.
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Radiation Therapy and You
Information about what to expect during radiation therapy, including the general effects of treatment and how to deal with specific side effects.
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