Brain Tumor Radiation

About Radiation & Brain Tumors

The National Cancer Institute describes brain tumors as the abnormal growth of cells; brain tumors can form in any part of the brain or the spinal cord, and together they are known as brain and central nervous system tumors. Brain tumors are...

Chemo & Radiation Side Effects With a Brain Tumor

Chemo, or chemotherapy, involves the use of drugs to destroy cancer cells or stop them from multiplying, while radiation therapy is the use of high-powered radiation to destroy cancer cells. Cancer cells are more susceptible to both chemotherapy...

After Effects of Brain Radiation

Radiation in the brain is done to shrink and hopefully eradicate tumors in the brain. After effects will appear in stages, with some arriving a few weeks into treatment and others continuing after treatment ends. Some of the more serious side...

Brain Tumors & Exercise

Everyone knows that exercise is good for you, but researchers are now discovering that exercise can help to reduce the damage from radiation treatments on the brain and aid recovery, according to a study by Duke University published in the October...

The Effects of Whole Brain Radiation

Whole brain radiation is a common treatment for aggressive brain tumors and brain cancers. Whole brain radiation therapy exposes all, or almost all, of the brain to a relatively high dose of radiation in the hope of slowing or stopping brain tumor...

The Effects of Chemotherapy & Radiation on Infants

The side effects from chemotherapy drugs and radiation, the most common treatment options for cancer regardless of age, depends on a variety of factors. The type and dosing of chemotherapy drugs used, the site as well as duration of the radiation...

Prophylactic Brain Radiation Side Effects

Prophylactic brain radiation is administered to patients suffering from certain types of cancer that potentially metastasize to the brain, such as lymphoma or lung cancer. Radiation dosage and the course of treatment is less then therapeutic...

Types of Cancerous Brain Tumors

A brain tumor is an abnormal growth by the cells in the brain. The cells reproduce themselves in an uncontrolled manner. These tumors can be benign (harmless) or malignant (cancerous). Primary brain tumors are growths that started in the brain,...

The Long-Term Effects of Radiation to the Brain

Patients with primary cancers of the brain or metastases from other cancers to the brain may receive radiation therapy. Radiation affects both the cancer cells and the normal brain cells; the types and magnitude of damage depends on the amount of...

Side Effects of Radiation for Brain Cancer

Radiation therapy is one type of treatment for brain cancer and can be used as the primary treatment in conjunction with surgery or to relieve any symptoms that the tumor is causing by shrinking the tumor. Most people get radiation therapy for...

The Long-Term Side Effects of Radiation on the Brain

Radiation is often used to treat brain tumors; the high-energy radiation kills the growing tumor cells. Although radiation is typically highly effective in killing cancer cells in the brain, it may have long-term side effects. These late radiation...

5 Ways to Treat Brain Cancer

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...

Factors That Increase a Person's Risk for Brain Cancer Tumors

The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2010, more than 22,000 people in the United States will be newly diagnosed with a brain or spinal cord tumor. The exact cause of brain tumors is not understood completely, but several risk factors can...

What Types of Treatments Are Available for Brain Cancer?

The brain contains billions of cells, working together to support cognitive function and processes required to sustain life. Cells within the brain can be broadly classified as neurons or glia. Neurons, the nerve cells of the brain, communicate...

What Are the Causes of Brain Tumors?

Brain tumors can arise from any of the diverse cells that make up the brain. The most common brain tumors in adults in the U.S., according to the National Institutes of Health, are gliomas, which arise from the supporting tissue in the brain, and...

Brain Radiation & Side Effects

Radiation, often prescribed as treatment for brain tumors, occurs in stages. During phase one, a radiation oncologist uses X-rays, computed tomography scans and magnetic resonance imaging to plan the course of treatment. Radiation treatments...

Radiation Treatments for Brain Cancer

Brain cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in people younger than 35 in the United States, according to oncologychannel.com. Of the 17,000 Americans diagnosed each year, almost 13,000 die. To prevent these deaths, doctors use...

Medical Symptoms of a Brain Tumor

Each year in the United States, nearly 20,000 patients are newly diagnosed with a brain tumor, reports Radiation Medical Group, a leading radiation therapy provider in San Diego, California. A brain tumor can occur when unregulated cells within...

What Are the Causes of Nystagmus?

Nystagmus is an uncontrollable, repetitive and rapid movement of the eyes. When affected by nystagmus, either one or both of the eyes can move in a circular motion, up and down, or from side to side, according to MedlinePlus. Dysfunction in the...

Aggressive Radiation Treatment for Brain Cancer

A brain tumor is an abnormal growth consisting of cells reproducing uncontrollably. A benign brain tumor is composed of harmless cells, and is contained within distinct boundaries. Most benign tumors can be removed surgically. Malignant tumors are...

5 Things You Need to Know About Adult Brain Tumors

Brain tumors result from an abnormal proliferation of cells in your brain. Typically, cells grow only when needed; however, occasionally, excess cells grow and create a tumor. Brain tumors are primary or secondary, meaning they start in the brain...

What Causes Brain Cancer?

A brain tumor is a mass of abnormal cells in the brain. According to MayoClinic.com, malignant brain tumors are the types of brain tumors that contain cancer cells. Such tumors are a leading cause of cancer-related deaths among people who are...

Full Brain Radiation Side Effects

Radiation therapy uses high-energy light rays to kill cancer cells. The radiation can be aimed at specific lesions in both the brain and body which may limit some of the damage to normal tissues. Whole or full brain radiation--where the entire...

Reasons for Continuous Headaches

A headache is a dull throbbing pain that occurs throughout the skull or within localized regions of the head. Tension headaches can involve the neck and shoulders as well as the head. Most headaches are generally harmless and can be treated with...

Types of Brain Cancer Treatments

When malignant cells form in the tissues of the brain, it is called brain cancer. The National Cancer Institute estimated that in 2009, approximately 22,070 individuals were diagnosed with brain cancer in the United States). There are various...

Facts on Radiation Oncology

Radiation oncology is a cancer treatment that uses high energy X-rays to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy can originate from a device similar to an X-ray machine. A doctor can also administer radiation therapy as an internal treatment by...

Treatment for a Brain Cyst

The American Brain Tumor Association explains that while brain cysts are not cancerous, they can be found in cancerous tumors. Brain cysts can contain fluid, such as blood, cerebrospinal fluid, tissue or minerals. Leaking cysts can irritate nearby...

Beam Radiation Diet

Any time you get an X-ray, your body is exposed to small amounts of radiation. Beam radiation, which is used to treat many types of cancers, directs high-powered radiation to tumors in your body. Some people experience no side effects from...

What Are the Treatments for Ependymoma?

An ependymoma is a tumor located in the cerebrospinal fluid-filled spaces of the brain and/or spinal cord. According to the Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation, ependymomas are rare but they're the third most common type of brain tumor found in...

Brain Tumor Health Video (Video)

A brain tumor is a mass or growth of abnormal cells in the brain. Learn about brain tumor symptoms, treatments and diagnosis in this video on health and diseases.

Brain Cancer Health Video (Video)

Brain tumors are created by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division. Learn about the symptoms and treatments for brain cancer in this video.