Treatment for a brain tumor can be done in several ways. Surgical removal of the tumor is widely used. But what options are available if the brain tumor is inoperable and what is the prognosis for a brain tumor? Find out here.
How do you treat a brain tumor?
Basically, conventional medicine has the following options for treating a brain tumor:
- Surgery
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation
In many tumors, a combination of the methods is used, especially in malignant tumors, to prevent further spread or to destroy residual tissue that could not be removed during surgery.
Surgery for a brain tumor
During the preparation for surgery, a detailed examination is made of where the tumor is located, which vessels supply it and, most importantly, which brain functions could be injured by surgery. Consideration is always given to how large the surgery may be in an important area of the brain so that the affected person does not have more functional loss postoperatively than from the tumor.
The procedure is discussed in detail between the patient and the doctor, and today the operation is usually performed by microsurgery. It is now possible to perform surgery on a patient who is largely awake, so that the function of the brain areas in which surgery is being performed can be checked immediately.
Chemotherapy against the tumor in the brain
Chemotherapy to treat a brain tumor can be used either alone or in combination with other treatments. In this form of therapy, drugs called cytostatics are given to kill the tumor cells or at least stop them from continuing to multiply.
However, since the drugs also attack healthy cells, chemotherapy can sometimes cause severe side effects. To find the right balance between fighting the tumor and damaging healthy cells, each chemotherapy regimen is individually tailored to the patient concerned. Sometimes, different drugs are combined for this purpose.
Radiation therapy as a treatment method
Modern radiation therapy reduces damage to healthy brain tissue and precisely destroys tumor tissue that cannot be removed surgically. However, both radiation therapy and chemotherapy cannot be used for every type of tumor – tests are always performed beforehand to determine whether the tumor will respond to the method.
In addition, Ayurveda H 15, a preparation derived from frankincense, is often given as a supportive measure. It seems to reduce inflammatory edema around a tumor and has few side effects.
Psychological support is important
In addition to these drastic measures, psychosocial counseling for patients and also for their families is recommended both for the potentially lengthy treatment of a brain tumor and for the impact on their overall life situation.
What is the prognosis if you have a brain tumor?
Unfortunately, no precise prognostic statement can be made for any brain tumor with regard to its course. For example, even benign tumors can have a poor prognosis, namely if they affect vital brain functions in an unfavorable location and are inoperable. Conversely, a small, malignant tumor that is easy to operate on and can be removed whole may have a better prognosis.
However, because many brain tumors can grow rapidly, our brain is a delicate control center that performs many vital functions, and many tumors cannot be removed or can only be partially removed despite today’s technology, there are unfortunately many courses of the disease in which death occurs after only a few months.
However, the prognosis of the individual depends on so many factors that even average values should always be treated with caution.
Further information is available from the German Brain Tumor Aid.
