Brain cancer

• Surgery reduces the amount of cancerous brain cells and also provides the pathologist (a doctor who looks at tissues under the microscope) with tissue to diagnose the exact type of brain cancer. Patients who have increased pressure within the skull because of the brain cancer sometimes need surgery to decompress the tumour and relieve the intracranial pressure.
• Radiotherapy is often recommended once the diagnosis of brain cancer is made. Radiotherapy consists of high-energy rays directed onto the cancer and the surrounding tissues. The amount and duration of radiation therapy administered depends on the type of brain cancer. Patients may experience hair loss and some lethargy during the treatment period.
• Chemotherapy is commonly used with radiation therapy in the treatment of astrocytomas. In primary brain lymphoma, chemotherapy is also the primary modality of treatment. Fast growing brain cancers respond better to chemotherapy than slow growing brain cancers. Patients who have recurrence after surgery and radiotherapy may also benefit from chemotherapy. Chemotherapy drugs are given orally as well as by infusion.
  
  Chemotherapy wafers can also beimplanted into the brain cancer at the time of surgery to reduce the growth of the cancer in the management of some patients with astrocytoma.
  

Prognosis of Brain Cancer

Clinical examinations, x-rays and pathology reports all help the medical team decide what the progress of an individual case of brain cancer may be. The appropriate course of treatment will then be put into action. The treatment strategy will vary from person to person. Features that influence the outcome of the cancers include the patient's exact type of brain cancer including its biological characteristics, the extent of brain function affected by the cancer, whether the cancer can be operated on and the age and functional status of the patients.