Treatment Process

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American Oncology Institute offers a multidisciplinary and comprehensive approach to treat patients with brain tumors, metastases (secondary tumors) to the nervous system, spinal cord tumors, and the neurological complications of cancer and its treatment.

When it comes to treatment for brain cancer, we treat all types of malignant brain tumors, including the rarest forms of primary brain cancer. Our multispecialty brain cancer team comprises of experts in all fields of therapy, ensuring the best possible outcome and quality of life to our patients. They use latest technologies such as Neuro- Navigation to perform real-time intra-operative guidance during brain surgery. This enhances the safety and precision of the surgery as it helps the surgeon to precisely localize the tumor and thus, limits the size of skull opening or craniotomy.

Our treatment plans, be it the treatment for brain tumor or treatment for spinal cord tumor are personalized as they vary greatly from patient to patient. These are influenced by factors such as the type and grade of the tumor, the tumor’s location and size and also the patient’s overall health.

Based on the diagnosis, the treatment plan for both brain tumor as well as spinal cord tumor may include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hormone therapy and other biological therapies.

At AOI, we believe that choosing less invasive surgery is another way to make brain surgery safer.

Neurosurgery for brain tumors

Surgery is the treatment of choice for brain tumors that can be removed without causing major neurological problems. The goals of neurosurgery are to:

Remove as much tumor as possible
Relieve pressure on the brain from the tumor
Determine the extent of the tumor
Provide access for other treatments and therapies, such as radiation implants

Radiation therapy for brain tumor

Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT): This is a type of radiation therapy that uses X-rays or other high-energy rays to destroy cancer cells and their ability to multiply abnormally. The technique allows specialists to control the intensity of the radiation beams directed at the tumor.

Genotyping for brain cancer

Cancer occurs when there are certain changes in the genome, called “mutations” which changes how the cells grow and divide. So, by sequencing the genome of tumor, specialists seek to map out all of these mutations, such that they are able to come up with a personalized treatment plan.

Generally, your surgeon may want to examine all or part of your genome for the following reason:

Family history: If you have multiple relatives who have been previously diagnosed with cancer, especially early in life, you may be at risk for an inherited cancer syndrome.
Cancer diagnosis: If you have been diagnosed with cancer your oncologist may want to test for new mutations. Precision drugs, also called “targeted therapies” can be used to counteract the effects of certain mutations and stop the tumor from growing. So, genome sequencing helps to identify a potential targeted therapy.

Chemotherapy for brain tumor

In general, chemotherapy is used for faster-growing brain tumors. Some types of brain tumors, such as medulloblastoma and lymphoma tend to respond better to chemo drugs than other types of tumors.

Chemo as a standalone treatment can be used for more advanced tumors or for the ones that have come back after other types of treatment modalities.

Also, there are tumor types where chemotherapy may be used in combination with other treatment options such as surgery and radiation therapy as many chemo drugs aren’t able to enter the brain and reach tumor cells. In such a scenario, chemotherapy may be taken orally with a pill or intravenously through the vein to eliminate cancer cells. But for some brain tumors, drugs can be given directly into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), either in the brain or into the spinal canal below the spinal cord.

However, chemotherapy is not as helpful for treating spinal cord tumors.

Immunotherapy for brain cancer

At AOI, our neuro-oncologists have advanced training in treating the following types of brain tumors with cancer biologics and immunotherapy:

Primary tumors such as some types of glioma tumors that develop in the supportive tissue that surrounds nerve cells
Metastatic tumors or cancers that have spread from another part of the body, such as breast and lung cancer
Recurrent tumors or cancer that has come back after initial treatment

Targeted drug therapy for brain tumor

Targeted or precision drug therapy uses drugs that take advantage of the differences between cancer cells and normal cells. Targeted drug therapy is increasingly used to treat brain tumors. Typically, it is used alongside a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy particularly for patients with recurrent tumors.

Unlike some chemotherapy drugs, which target cells, without being able to distinguish between healthy or cancerous cells, targeted drug therapy interferes with specific molecular pathways that are altered in cancer cells. As a result, these precision drugs do not have the same side effects as those seen with chemotherapy.

Minimally invasive brain surgery

Transorbital Neuroendoscopic Surgery (TONES) is a safe, effective option for treating a variety of advanced brain diseases and traumatic injuries. This groundbreaking, minimally invasive surgery is performed through the eye socket, thus eliminating the removal of the top of the skull to reach the brain.

During the procedure, the surgeon makes a small incision behind or through the eyelid. A tiny hole is then made through the bone of the eye socket to reach the brain. This pathway allows repairs to be made without lifting the brain.

Skull base surgery

Skull base surgery is performed to remove or repair an abnormality on the bony surface beneath the brain—the skull base. And because skull base traditionally has been difficult to access, the skull base tumors or disorders, are some of the most challenging, complex and technically demanding conditions to treat. They require advanced diagnostic technology and the expertise of highly skilled neurosurgeons.

AOI is one of the leading hospitals for the evaluation and treatment of the complex skull base tumors as well as disorders. We use modern techniques such as trans nasal surgery, 3-D navigation planning, microscopic and laser techniques, etc., for the treatment of both benign and malignant tumors in the skull base, sinuses and brain.

Benign skull base tumor types include:

Acoustic neuroma
Craniopharyngioma
Meningioma
Neuroma
Pituitary tumor
Tumors in the soft tissues and bones of the head, upper face and sinuses

Malignant skull base tumor types include:

Carcinomas
Chordoma
Craniopharyngioma
Meningioma
Mucosal melanoma
Sarcomas
Soft tissue sarcomas
Skull base carcinoid tumor

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+91 73311 91919

Neurosurgery

Neurosurgery

1800 208 2000

+91 73311 91919

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