1. Treat a Brain Tumor With Surgery
Though you'll likely be assigned a team of medical specialists to treat your tumor, the primary means of helping brain cancer patients is neurosurgery. The approach your doctors take depends on the size and spread of your tumor. Your neurosurgeon and oncologist may choose to wait before operating to see if the tumor's spread is rapid or slow, but if and when you do go under the knife, the goal of surgery is always the same: to remove as much of the tumor as possible while leaving neighboring healthy tissues intact.
2. Use Chemotherapy to Battle Brain Cancer
Your oncologist will explain the different chemotherapy drugs that may be used as part of your treatment regimen. Brain cancer is rarely treated primarily through chemotherapy. Instead, chemotherapy is used as a supplementary treatment. It is meant to attack any cancerous growths that survive your surgery. In some cases, chemotherapy is used to shrink a tumor before doctors try to operate.
3. Radiation Therapy as Part of a Complete Treatment Program
It's likely that you'll also undergo radiation therapy to control the spread of your brain tumor. Like chemotherapy, radiation is usually used to supplement brain cancer surgery. If your oncologist deems you a candidate for radiation therapy, you'll be assigned to a radiologist who will oversee this particular aspect of your treatment program.
4. Learn More About Clinical Trials
You can volunteer for clinical trials to offset the cost of your treatment program or to try new, unproven therapies that may have a positive effect on your health. However, these trials do come at some risk to you, since experimental treatment methods may have unpredictable side effects.
If you want to find brain cancer clinical trials being held in your area, talk to any member of your medical team, or contact the American Cancer Society.
5. Get Specialized Therapy to Recover From Treatment
Because the surgical interventions used to treat brain cancer often require the removal of portions of your brain, you may develop motion, speech or language impediments after surgery. Your doctors will be able to predict some, but not necessarily all, of these side effects and will introduce you to therapists who can help you cope.
Cognitive therapists can help you regain mental faculties affected by the surgery. If you develop language difficulties, a speech pathologist can help you communicate more clearly. Physical therapists can help you recover a range of motion if your motor skills are affected. Finally, a vocational therapist can help you rebuild skills you need to perform your job.
