Brain and Nervous System Cancer

St. Elizabeth Healthcare takes a team approach to diagnosing and treating brain and nervous system conditions. Our neurosurgeons, oncologists and radiation oncologists work together with our entire cancer care team to create personalized treatment plans to treat brain and nervous system cancers.

Treatment of your tumors will depend on its type and location. Surgery is often the first step. At St. Elizabeth, we specialize in minimally invasive surgical approaches to remove tumors, sparing as much healthy tissue as possible.

Brain Tumors

Brain tumors can be cancerous or noncancerous masses. They can begin in your brain or be from another cancer that has spread to your brain. Brain tumors from other types of cancer (metastatic brain tumors) are more common than primary brain tumors.

Brain tumors are unique in every patient. They vary in size and how quickly they grow. Types of brain tumors include:

  • Astrocytoma
  • Brain stem glioma
  • Oligodendroglioma  
  • Glioblastoma
  • Medulloblastoma
  • Meningioma
  • Pituitary tumors
Doctors diagnose images from the patient's skull X-ray film to check for brain abnormalities.

Make an appointment

For more information, please contact your oncologist or the Cancer Care Center at (859) 301-4000

Symptoms of a brain tumor include:

  • Changes in speech, hearing, or personality.
  • Confusion.
  • Dizziness.
  • Feeling drowsy.
  • Headache.
  • Problems with balance or walking.
  • Seizures.
  • Vision problems.
  • Vomiting.
  • Weakness or numbness in the arms, legs, or face.

Causes of Brain Tumors

Brain tumors have a number of causes. They share some common risk factors, such as age, gender, environmental exposure and family history.

Brain and Nervous System Cancer Screening

Routine screenings for brain cancer before symptoms begin do not yet exist. If you have a family history or other risk factors, it’s important to be aware of potential symptoms and report any concerns to your doctor.

Imaging tests are typically recommended if symptoms develop, or if something unusual is found on imaging performed for another reason. In those cases, doctors may monitor the area with follow-up imaging over time. If an imaging study detects anything suspicious, doctors may take a tissue sample (biopsy) to determine whether it is cancer.

Genetic Testing for Brain and Nervous System Cancer

We know that a cancer diagnosis comes with many questions — including whether it may be hereditary or if family members could be at risk. The certified genetic counselors at St. Elizabeth Healthcare are here to help guide you through those concerns.

In most cases, brain and nervous system cancers are not linked to inherited genetic conditions. However, genetic counseling may be recommended in certain situations, such as when there is a strong family history of cancer or features that suggest a hereditary cancer syndrome.

For these select patients, genetic counseling and testing can help identify inherited conditions and provide information for you and your family. Your care team will discuss whether genetic evaluation is appropriate for your specific situation.”

Brain and Nervous System Cancer Diagnosis

Brain and nervous system tumors can be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Because there currently aren’t widely recommended tests to screen for these cancers, diagnosis usually occurs if a person has signs or symptoms.

We offer state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging for brain and nervous system cancers and other non-cancerous conditions, including:

  • Imaging tests (such as MRI, CT and PET scans) — These are the primary tools used to detect and evaluate brain tumors, providing detailed images of the brain and nervous system.
  • Tissue biopsy — Removal of a small sample of tissue to determine whether a tumor is cancerous and identify its specific type.
  • Blood tests — In some cases, blood tests may be used to evaluate overall health or rule out other conditions, though they are not used to diagnose brain tumors.”
Dr. Ivan Bedoya speaks with a patient in a medical office.

Getting a Second Opinion

If you are diagnosed with brain or nervous system cancer, you want to make sure you have a team of experts by your side. We can provide a second opinion and present treatment options.

Brain and Nervous System Cancer Treatment

Treating brain and nervous system cancers requires an individualized approach that takes a wide range of factors into account, including the type and stage of your cancer and whether it’s spread into other areas of your body.

Treatment options may include:

  • Surgery — A procedure to remove as much of the tumor as possible while preserving surrounding healthy brain tissue.
  • Radiation therapy — High-energy radiation used to target and destroy tumor cells or slow their growth.
  • Chemotherapy — Drug therapy used to treat cancer, often given as oral medications for certain brain tumors, as well as in some cases through IV.
  • Targeted therapy — Medications designed to act on specific features of tumor cells, helping to slow or stop their growth.
  • Immunotherapy — Treatments that help the immune system recognize and respond to cancer cells, used in select cases.

Brain and Nervous System Cancer Surveillance

When you’re diagnosed with or treated for brain or nervous system cancer, you have the entire team at St. Elizabeth Cancer Center to help. Your care does not end when active treatment is finished. We want to make sure your cancer doesn’t come back — and if it does, we want to make sure we catch it early.

Once your treatment is over, our cancer care team will create a schedule of follow-up visits so we can monitor your progress carefully. Because brain tumors are likely to recur, it’s important to keep in touch with your St. Elizabeth team so we can start treatment quickly.

Our team will be by your side from the minute you are diagnosed through your survivorship program.

Schedule Your Appointment Today

Call Your Primary Care Provider

Talk to your primary care physician about when you should have your cancer screenings. Call (800) 737-7900.

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