Treatment options

There are a number of factors that will determine your treatment, such as the type of tumour, where it is in your brain, how big it is, how fast it is growing and your overall health and fitness.

 

Your medical team may recommend some of the treatments below:

 

Active surveillance – If your tumour is not causing problems your doctors may suggest delaying treatment. This will involve having regular scans and monitoring how fast it is growing.

 

Steroids — Steroids are anti-inflammatory medicine, which are used to reduce any swelling around the tumour and may improve any symptoms you are having. These are often prescribed quite soon after your initial scans. Learn more about steroids as a cancer treatment on the Macmillan website (opens in a new tab). 

 

Anti-seizure medicine — This type of medicine is prescribed to control any seizures you may be having as a result of your tumour.

 

Biopsy – This will involve taking a small sample from your brain, which can be looked at under a microscope. This is done to help doctors decide the best treatment for you. If it is determined that you need a biopsy, you will be referred to the specialist team at St George’s University Hospital in London. You will be asleep for the procedure.

 

Surgery – Surgery is not an option for all patients as it will depend on your overall health and the location of your tumour. If surgery is possible you will be referred to the specialist surgical team at St George’s University Hospital in London.  The aim of the surgery will be to remove as much of the tumour as possible. Doctors who carry out these procedures are very skilled and highly trained. There are a number of ways surgery can be performed and they will talk you through this.

 

Further treatment: After surgery and depending on the diagnosis, you may require chemotherapy or radiotherapy. You will be seen at Royal Surrey for an appointment with the oncologists usually within two weeks of the operation.

 

Radiotherapy – The main treatment for a brain tumour is radiotherapy. Radiotherapy is a treatment where radiation is used to kill cancer cells. This could be given with or without chemotherapy. The treatment is given daily over two, three or six weeks.

Learn more about radiotherapy at Royal Surrey Cancer Centre.

 

Chemotherapy – This will usually be given either orally in tablet form and/or via an intravenous drip and is a cancer treatment which uses medicine to kill cancer cells.

Discover more about chemotherapy at Royal Surrey Cancer Centre.