 February 18, 2002 |
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Brain Tumors: Symptoms, Therapy and Future Cure Professor and Chairman Department of Neurological Surgery NYU Medical Center New York, NY 10016 Introduction Brain tumors are not like tumors in other parts of the body. They usually grow by local extension. They rarely metastasize outside of the brain. They produce symptoms in relatively straight-forward ways. And if we could totally remove every cell of a brain tumor we could cure all patients with brain tumors. However, many brain tumors do not present a defined and circumscribed mass which can be removed surgically. In addition, surgeons cannot remove a brain tumor with a "margin" of good tissue (as they can in breast, lung, kidney, skin or bowel) which would better the chances of a surgical cure. Removing a margin of good tissue in the brain would most often result in a severe neurological deficit with an unacceptable reduction in the patient's quality of life.The following will describe the general types of brain tumors and discuss the mechanisms by which they produce symptoms. We will discuss contemporary methods for surgery as well and radiation therapy and chemotherapy therapies and provide some insight into the future of brain tumor treatment. |
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| The Brain Tumor Foundation • 1350 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 1200, New York, NY 10019 E-Mail: info@braintumorfoundation.org • Phone: 212.489.0600 • Fax: 212.489.0203 |
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