Exploring the Treatment options for Brain Tumor
Deciding on the cancer treatment can be shattering. Also, patients have shorter time to take the critical decision about their future, many of which are confusing and frightening. Before you decide, it is crucial to explore various treatment options that are available in the medical field to treat the type of cancer or tumor. Therefore, we recommend you to get in touch with the professionals which will assist you with your everything. One such network is Indian Pharma Network, New Delhi which will assist with the information to making the arrangements for the treatment.
In our previous writeup, we got an in-depth idea about the brain tumor. You and your loved ones might have doubts about the brain cancer and its treatment. Now, we will be getting to know about the various treatment options available for treating the brain tumor or brain cancer.
Treatment Overview
During brain tumor treatment and care, different team of doctors often work together to create a patient’s overall treatment plan that combines different types of treatment. Your care team will include a variety of other health care professionals, such as physician assistants, nurse practitioners, oncology nurses, social workers, pharmacists, counsellors, dietitians, rehabilitation specialists, and others.
As some types of brain tumors grow rapidly, your team of doctors will talk to you about how the treatment should proceed after the diagnosis. Depending upon the several factors, the team of doctors recommend the treatment for the brain:
- Your age, overall health, and medical history
- The type, location, and size of the tumor
- How likely the tumor is to spread or recur
- Your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
Generally, low-grade tumors (grade 1 and grade 2) are not aggressive, and are treated with watchful monitoring or surgery alone. Tumors should be monitored with repeated screenings but grade 2 tumors should be observed closely after the surgery to make sure that there is no recurrence.
High grade tumors (grade 3 and grade 4) are malignant and can grow quickly. They are difficult to remove and require extensive treatments, such as surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or a clinical trial if one is available. All treatments aim to prolong and improve life. Let us discuss the types of treatments available to treat the brain tumor.
Surgery
Surgery is the removal of the tumor which surrounds the healthy tissue during an operation. Generally, the doctors prefer the surgery to remove the low-grade tumor. Removing the tumor can improve neurological symptoms, provide tissue for diagnosis and genetic analysis, help in improving other treatments, and improve the prognosis of a person with a brain tumor.
Recent advances in the surgery for brain tumors have led to the development of cortical mapping, enhanced imaging, and fluorescent dyes which has made the procedures easy. Surgery to the brain requires the removal of the part of the skull. Then, the surgeon removes the tumor, and uses patient’s bone to cover the opening in the skull.
Before surgery, you must ensure that you have discussed all the possible side effects that the patient will have.
Radiation Therapy
In Radiation therapy, the high-energy x-rays or other particles are used to destroy the tumor cells. The doctors use radiation therapy to slow down or stop the growth of a brain tumor. Generally, radiation therapy is given after the surgery and along with the chemotherapy. The most common type of radiation treatment is called external-beam radiation therapy which is given from a machine outside the body. Also, another type of radiation therapy is given using implants, which is called internal radiation therapy. Your radiation oncologist will give a schedule in which, the number of treatments to be given over a set period will be mentioned. Depending upon the size and location of the brain tumour, your radiation oncologist, choose any one of the following six types of external-beam radiation therapy that can be used to treat brain tumor:
- Conventional radiation therapy
- 3-Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy(3D-CRT)
- Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
- Proton Therapy
- Stereotactic Radiosurgery
- Fractionated Stereotactic Radiation Therapy
Be aware of the short-term side effects from the radiation therapy which include fatigue, mild-skin reactions, hair loss, stomach upset, and neurological problems. Though, these side effects go away soon after the treatment is finished. Consult your doctor beforehand, if you chose the radiation therapy for treating your brain tumor.
Medication Therapies
Systematic therapy is the use of medication to destroy the tumor cells. Generally, this type of medication is given through intravenous ways directly into the bloodstream which directly reaches to the tumor cells. The types of systematic therapies include:
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is type of therapy which includes the use of drugs to destroy the tumor cells, by keeping the tumor cells from growing, dividing, and making more cells.
According to the type and size of your brain tumor, the doctor may give your one drug at a time or a combination of different drugs given at the same time. During the treatment, patients are monitored regularly with a brain MRI every 2 to 3 months. If the tumor grows during the treatment, your oncologist will consider other treatment options.
The side effects of the chemotherapy depend on the individual and the dose used, but they can include fatigue, nausea and vomiting, hair loss, loss of appetite and diarrhoea. These side effects usually go away after treatment is finished. Patients may be given extra fluid by IV to protect their kidneys.
Targeted Therapy
In addition to standard chemotherapy, targeted therapy is a treatment that targets the tumor’s specific genes, proteins, or the tissue environment that contributes to a tumor’s growth and survival. Targeted therapies help in blocking the growth and the spread of tumor cells and limit the damage to healthy cells.
To find the most appropriate treatment, your doctor may run some tests to identify the genes, proteins, and other factors in your tumor. There are two types of targeted therapy:
Bevacizumab: This is a type of anti-angiogenesis therapy that is used to treat glioblastoma multiforme when any prior treatment has not worked. It helps in the formation of new blood vessels, which in turn helps in underfeeding the tumor.
Larotrectinib: This is a type of targeted therapy that is not specific to a type of tumor but focuses on a specific genetic change called NTRK fusion. It is an approved treatment for some metastatic brain tumors.
Immunotherapy
Some types of immunotherapy have shown promise in treating brain metastases from lung cancer and melanoma. These include ipilimumab (Yervoy), nivolumab (Opdivo), and pembrolizumab (Keytruda).
Conclusion
As we discussed all the ways through which brain tumor can be treated, it is also important to know that recovery is not always possible. As side effects of the treatment can occur at any point of time, it is recommended to choose palliative care for relieving the symptoms and side effects.
As recovery from brain tumor is stressful, it is important for the family of the patient to know all the information about the symptoms. It is also important to have an open and honest conversation with your team of health care experts to express your feelings, preferences, and concerns. The health care team has special skills, experience, and knowledge to support patients and their families and is there to help.
If you are diagnosed with the brain tumor and want to get it treated, reach out to the best pharmaceutical consultants at Indian Pharma Network as we will assist you with the best advice and any medication that you need from any part of the globe.
Visit: https://indianpharmanetwork.co.in/
Or
Call Mr. Neeraj Nagpal on 9811747774
References:
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/brain-tumor/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20350088
- https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/light-therapy
- https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/brain-tumor/types-treatment
- https://www.narayanahealth.org/brain-tumour/
- https://www.webmd.com/cancer/brain-cancer/brain-cancer-treatment#1
