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There have been over 150 different kinds of brain tumors documented to date but most fall into two categories: Primary or Metastatic.

WE ARE OPEN DURING COVID - 19 TO TREAT PATIENTS

Innovative Cancer Institute will remain open and provide uninterrupted Brain Tumor Radiation Therapy Treatment to patients not displaying COVID-19 symptoms.
Our team will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the oncologic related questions through Telemedicine.

At ICI we treat a wide variety of Brain Tumors and Spine Metastases using the latest Radiation Therapy techniques

Facts about Brain Cancer

Primary Brain Tumors come from the brain and surround areas.  Metastatic Brain Tumors start in other areas (such as breast or lungs) and then spread to the brain.  Primary Brain Tumors can be malignant or benign. Metastatic Tumors are Malignant. 

Facts About Brain Cancer

Types of Brain Cancer

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Primary Brain Tumors

Brain tumors may originate from any cell type in the brain including its coverings and supporting tissues such as blood vessels (Hemangiomas), lymph vessels (Lymphomas), meninges (Meningiomas), cranial nerves (Neurinomas), pituitary gland (Pituitary Adenomas) and pineal gland (Pinealomas). Brain tumors from glial cells (Gliomas) are the most common primary brain tumors affecting approximately 6 per 100,000 person years in the United States.

Brain tumors are invasive and grow in a limited space within the intracranial cavity. Because of their location, treatment should often not be delayed. Rarely, brain tumors in non-critical areas which grow very slowly may simply be observed and followed with imaging such as CT or MRI. ​

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Types of Brain Cancer
Primary Brain Tumor
Brain Sketch

Brain metastases

Brain metastases are neoplasms that originate in tissues outside the brain and spread secondarily to involve the brain. Metastases to the brain may be single or multiple. It is estimated that more than 100,000 new cases of brain metastases occur in the United States each year. Lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, and breast cancer, the most common cancer in women, are responsible for more than half of the cases of brain metastases in the United State

Brain Metastases
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Spine metastases

Spinal metastases represent a common problem affecting more than 200,000 patients a year in the United States. For many years, conventional radiation therapy has been the most common treatment for patients with metastatic spinal tumors.

Treatment Options

Brain tumors are typically treated with surgery, radiation, and/or chemotherapy and can be done alone or in various combinations. Radiation and chemotherapy are used more often for malignant or recurring tumors, but our recommendation is to make treatment decisions on a case-by-case basis in order to customize the best treatment. 

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Conventional MRI is the most effective imaging modality in the work-up of CNS tumors. Radiation therapy may be recommended in three circumstances:

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  • Radiation can be given after surgery for residual disease.

  • Radiation may be the preferred treatment when a low-grade glioma has been diagnosed in a critical area of the brain that cannot be surgically removed, and therapy is felt to be necessary.

  • Radiosurgery is an emerging modality of treatment that can be used either for cure, pretreatment or salvage after conventional radiation 

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Low grade astrocytomas (LGA) are slow-growing primary brain tumors with a heterogeneous clinical behavior, for which the management remains controversial. Treatment approaches range from early and extensive surgery versus 'Wait-and-see, and radiation immediately after surgery versus at the time of progression

Radiation Therapy

Radiosurgery:

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a technique that allows destruction of an intracranial tumor using focal radiation with stereotactic guidance while protecting normal brain from unwanted radiation.


Many benign brain tumors can be treated with radiosurgery without the need for open surgery, craniotomy or other invasive procedures.  Malignant tumors usually require surgical excision or biopsy. Nowadays many surgical treatments tend to be minimally invasive such as stereotactic guided biopsies.

At ICI we treat spine tumors with an advanced technique called Spinal Radiosurgery or Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS).

Spine Metastases
Treatment Options
Radiation Theraphy
Radiosurgery

This has revolutionized the treatment because it is more accurate and results in minimal side effects compared to older, more conventional radiation therapy.

 

Instead of open surgery, SRS offers a noninvasive option to deliver a large dose of radiation to the tumor with millimeter accuracy.

 

The treatment may be delivered in a single treatment or may be given over 3 to 5 treatment sessions may be used for tumors of specific size and location.

 

Our approach, performed at the Innovative Cancer Institute on an outpatient basis, is becoming the preferred approach in the management of spinal and paraspinal primary and metastatic tumors.

 

Spinal radiosurgery can also be used in patients previously treated with conventional radiation when other treatments have failed (reirradiation).

 

In these patients the decision of how to proceed will depend on several factors including:  Previous treatment, Disease response to previous therapy, Clinical situation, Patient/caregiver desires, Resource availability

Are there any radiation side effects? ​

While Radiation is the least invasive of treatments there is a small chance of some minor side effects.  Those effects depend on where the radiation is used, so each case is different.


Some of the potential short-term side effects of Radiation Treatment are:  Headaches, hair loss, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, hearing loss, skin and scalp changes, trouble with memory and speech, seizures.


Some of these side effects happen because radiation can cause the brain to swell, and medicine can be provided to prevent that. Also keep in mind that treatment affects each patient differently, and you may not have these or any side effects.

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Sometimes there can be side effects that show up later – usually from 6 months to many years after treatment ends. Delayed effects can include memory loss, stroke-like symptoms, and poor brain function. You may also be at increased risk of having another tumor in the area, although this is not common. 
 

Radiation Theraphy Side Effects
  • What is the success rate of radiation therapy for breast cancer?
    Success rate is as high 97-98 % in early cancer stages for the majority of patients
  • Is breast cancer treatment possible without breast removal?
    Yes and Radiation Therapy is the option that allows for what we call breast conservation, or conservative treatment. If you qualify for the treatment, you can be treated with a lumpectomy, followed by conservative radiation treatment, and you can keep your breast/s. It also is just as successful as a mastectomy, while being far less painful and risky.
  • Does radiation on left breast affect the heart?
    No. As mentioned above, using modern technology we avoid affecting any surrounding organs.
  • What should you avoid during radiation?
    It’s best to avoid skin irritants, use mild soaps and creams that are recommended by the Doctor.
  • How long is a radiation treatment for breast cancer?
    It depends and timing ranges based on a variety of reasons. For the most part cases are short, as brief as 5 days to 2 weeks. However in some special cases where lymph nodes need treatment and/or the tumor is more advanced it can take up to 25-30 days of treatment.
  • Does radiation for breast cancer cause heart problems?
    No. As mentioned above, we leverage various techniques that allow us to completely shield and protect any vital organs.
  • What are the side effects of radiation therapy for breast cancer?
    Radiation effects occur only in the treated area. In early cancer the only effects are minor redness or mild pigmentation on the skin of the treated area. If the tumor is advanced and if the dose of RT to skin needs to be higher than normal there may be a temporary reaction on the skin which is easily treated with topical creams.
  • Is radiotherapy painful for breast cancer?
    Radiation therapy is painless. The only thing close to pain you can expect is some slight discomfort from lying in the required position, but that is very brief.
  • Can radiation for breast cancer damage your lungs?
    No. Using modern technology we avoid damaging any surrounding organs. We have imaging that follows the respiration, and then we employ either controlled breathing techniques or treat patients using prone position in order to protect vital organs.
  • What are the long term effects of radiation for breast cancer?
    For the most part long term effects of radiation are very limited, at most some will get some skin discoloration or light tanning of skin where treatment was. In very limited cases, some patients can develop fibrosis or changes in the skin telangiectasia (blood vessels visible in the skin) or some patients may get lymphedema of the arm, but those are typically in more advanced cases that require higher doses of Radiation Therapy to the axilla.
  • Do you lose your hair with radiation therapy for breast cancer?
    No, you typically lose hair during chemotherapy. You do not lose any hair for Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer, the worst side effect that you can expect is some mild skin redness.
  • What is a PSA?
    The Prostatic-Specific Antigen or PSA test, measures a substance in the bloodstream which is created only by the prostate gland. Abnormally high PSA levels may signal the presence of cancer. However, PSA levels are also higher in men with large prostate glands from benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) a very common benign condition among men older than 50 years of age. In order to differentiate BPH from prostate cancer in patients with elevated blood PSA levels, doctors also use a test called PSA density, which relates PSA level to the size of the gland. A digital rectal exam, in which the doctor inserts a gloved lubricated finger into the rectum, is used to detect unusual bumps or hard areas on the prostate that might be cancer. If these tests raise concern, the next step is a prostate biopsy.
  • How curable is prostate cancer?
    In general, the earlier the cancer is caught, the more likely it is for the patient to be cured. Because approximately 90% of all prostate cancers in the US are detected in the local stages, the cure rate is very high for patients with prostate cancer who are treated appropriately using radiation therapy or surgery.
  • What is a Gleason Score ?
    The Gleason Score is an exam based on the pathologic examination of prostatic tissue obtained either from study of the prostate removed at surgery or more commonly from study of small core of tissue obtained from a needle biopsy of the prostate in patient suspected of having prostate cancer. This biopsy is usually done in patients who have a palpable nodule on rectal exam or a high PSA level. Multiple samples of prostatic tissue are obtained using a core needle biopsy under local anesthesia via a Trans-Rectal approach with Ultrasound (US) guidance (TRUS). Some of the results from this prostate biopsy are usually given in the form of a Gleason score. On the simplest level, this scoring system assigns a number from 2 to 10 to describe how abnormal the cells appear under a microscope. A score of 2 to 5 means the cells still look very much like normal cells and pose little danger of being malignant. A score of 6 is considered low risk prostate cancer, some of these patients may be observed depending on several factors including age, lifestyle and doctor and patients references. A score of 7 indicates intermediate risk prostate cancer and in general indicates need for treatment although the tumor still likely to be confined within the prostate. A score of 8 to 10 indicates that the tumor is very likely to be aggressive and may be already outside of the gland. These patients in general need to start treatment without delay. The Gleason score is one of the best tests available to gauge the severity of the prostate cancer and guide its management however, it is only one piece of information that you and your doctor will use. Biopsy reports also typically include the number of biopsy core samples that contain cancer, the percentage of cancer in each of the cores, and whether the cancer occurs on one side or both sides of the prostate. This information is key to guide treatment.
  • If there are no symptoms, how is prostate cancer detected?"
    Screening for prostate cancer can be performed in a physician's office using two tests: the PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood test and the digital rectal exam (DRE).
  • What is the best treatment for prostate cancer?
    You and your doctor will decide what is the best option for you. This will be dependent upon many factors including your type of tumor and its stage, your medical condition, and your wish to maintain sexual potency and urinary continence.
  • How do you protect yourself from Skin Cancer?
    The biggest thing you can do is limit your exposure to the sun, but here are some tips that can help: Use sunscreen regularly, and it should be the kind that can protect against UVB light and UVA rays and an SPF (sun protection factor) of 30 Reapply often when outside and especially after swimming or sweating. Wear sunglasses Use SPF lip balm Wear sun-protective clothing Avoid tanning beds as they will increase the risk of skin cancer See your dermatologist every year for a skin exam
  • Are there side effects to treating skin cancer with Radiation?
    Rarely, but some redness or a rash may appear on the skin which usually resolves itself within a week.
  • Will my cancer come back? Or will I get more skin cancers?
    People who have already had one skin cancer have a higher risk of developing additional skin cancers in the future, so anyone who has been diagnosed with one basal cell carcinoma should be especially watchful for signs of recurrence. Most recurrences happen within three to five years of a patient's original diagnosis.
  • Can I get skin cancer anywhere on my skin?
    Most skin cancer happens on skin that is exposed to the sun most often such as your head, neck, chest, and arms. However, it is possible to get skin cancer on parts of your body that rarely or ever see sun such as genitals, but that is much more rare.
  • How can I know if I am more likely to get Brain Cancer?
    In most cases of brain tumors, the cause is not clear. However there are two factors that can increase the risk of cancer, prior exposure to radiation is one, and the other is family history of Brain Tumors.
  • What are the Symptoms of Brain Cancer?
    Signs and symptoms of a brain tumor vary widely and can depend on the tumor's size, locale, and how fast it grows. Some signs or symptoms might include: Onset or new pattern of headaches Headaches that become more frequent and more severe over time Unexplained vomiting or nausea Vision problems Gradual loss of sensation in limbs Difficulty with balance and speech Confusion in everyday matters Personality/behavior changes Seizures, especially in you don’t have a prior history of seizures Problems hearing
  • What is difference between benign brain tumors and malignant brain tumors:
    Benign brain tumors are non-cancerous, but that doesn’t mean they should not be considered for treatment. Malignant tumors are cancerous and typically are more aggressive and spread faster than others and definitely require treatment.
  • How is it Diagnosed?
    Diagnosis starts by taking family history and reviewing symptoms, followed by a physical and neurological exam. The doctor may then recommend a CT scan or MRI, and or an MRA or Angiogram. The doctor may also recommend a biopsy in some cases.
Frequent Questions and Answers
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