Brain cancer treatment

Treatment of brain cancer can be quite successful: everything depends on the stage of the process, the patient's condition, the size of the tumor and other factors.

Brain cancer is one of the most terrible, dangerous and complex diseases.

Brain Cancer Treatment

Treatment of brain cancer is a complex task. Each patient undergoes therapy prescribed by the doctor individually: mainly a surgical method, accompanied by radiation and chemotherapy.

The above treatment methods should be used in combination. A one-sided approach is unacceptable in the treatment of any disease, especially such a serious pathology as oncology.

The defining therapeutic method in oncology is surgery. However, it is not all-powerful: not all brain tumors can be removed completely. Sometimes it happens that a tumor-like formation is located among the centers of regulation of the body's vital functions. Cancer can grow so much into the area of these centers that complete removal of the tumor is no longer possible, since it will entail the destruction of the necessary vital brain structures.

In such situations, the tumor is removed as much as possible, and after surgery, radiation and polychemotherapy are started.

Surgical treatment of brain cancer

Before the operation is scheduled, the patient undergoes diagnostics and determines the nature, location of the tumor, and the possibility of its complete or partial removal. Then, the method of surgical intervention is selected, other organs and systems are examined to understand whether the patient can tolerate the operation.

Possible surgical intervention methods include ultrasonic aspiration, scalpel surgery and laser microsurgery.

The operation to remove a brain tumor consists of several stages:

• trepanation (opening) of the cranium. During this stage, part of the cranial bone is removed;
• The neoplasm is removed through the resulting opening;
• After the tumor is removed, the removed bone part is returned to its place.

Anesthesia during surgery can be complete or partial, depending on the patient's condition.

Usually, surgical treatment is used for the maternal brain tumor. Surgery is not used to treat brain metastases due to the inappropriateness of surgical intervention.

Treatment of brain cancer with drugs

Chemotherapy for brain cancer (drug therapy) is used to shrink the tumor and control its growth.

This type of therapy is used mainly in the complex treatment of cancer together with radiotherapy. The most common antitumor drugs (antibiotics, hormonal drugs, antimetabolites, alkylating agents, etc.) used in drug therapy of oncology:

• lomustine (belustine) is a cytostatic drug of the nitrosourea group;
• temodal (temozolomide) is an imidazotetrazine antitumor agent;
• carboplatin is an antitumor drug of the platinum derivative group;
• Natulan (procarbazine) is a strong cytostatic agent;
• cisplatin is a cytotoxic drug, a platinum derivative;
• Oncovin (vincristine sulfate) is an alkaloid and an antitumor drug.

When carrying out chemotherapy, it is possible to use intra-arterial administration of drugs (into the vascular system of the brain), convection procedures (administration of the drug directly into the tumor), spinal administration, and interstitial treatment (the drug is administered into the cavity formed during resection of the cancerous tumor).

Symptomatic drug therapy is also standardly carried out, including the use of analgesics, antibiotics, and antidepressants.

Chemotherapy for brain cancer

Chemotherapy is usually prescribed in combination with other types of treatment: radiation therapy or tumor resection.

Before starting treatment, it is important to determine the type of tumor and its sensitivity to cytostatic drugs. This can be done during the tumor removal surgery or by biopsy.

Medicines can be prescribed in tablets, as well as in the form of IVs or shunts, depending on the severity of the disease. The course of treatment can last more than one week, and such courses are usually from 2 to 4 per year.

The action of chemotherapy drugs is aimed at destroying cancer cells, which is achieved by blocking cellular metabolism, inhibiting the ability of cells to reproduce and grow. It should be noted that the action of cytostatics also affects some healthy cells in the body. This can manifest itself in the development of pathologies of the hematopoietic system, intestinal damage and baldness.

The effects of chemotherapy drugs on the blood system are extensive: the process affects almost all elements of the blood, including red and white blood cells, as well as platelets.

The consequences of chemotherapy may be the following:

• anemia (reduction in the number of red blood cells and hemoglobin). Signs of this condition include loss of appetite, impaired consciousness, a feeling of weakness, and noise in the head;
• a decrease in immunity (a decrease in the number of leukocytes). There is a risk of infection;
• hemorrhagic rashes (decreased platelet count). The appearance of hematomas, small subcutaneous hemorrhages without apparent cause;
• early development of menopause in women, infertility (cytostatics suppress ovarian function);
• disorders of the urinary system.

Drug therapy for brain cancer may use one or more drugs at a time. The most common drugs are:

• Temodal is an imidazotetrazine tablet drug used for glioblastoma, astrocytoma or glioma. It is especially effective in combination with radiotherapy. The use of the drug increases the risk of pneumonia and digestive disorders.
• Carmustine is a nitrosomethylurea drug that penetrates the blood-brain barrier and is highly lipid-soluble, which is especially important in the treatment of brain tumors. It affects the synthesis processes and functionality of nucleic acid, which contributes to changes in the genetic apparatus of cancer cells. It can provoke scarring of lung tissue, cerebral edema, and seizures.
• The combination of PCV - the simultaneous action of three drugs (vincristine, lomustine and procarbazine) allows achieving a cytostatic effect when forming resistance to other antitumor drugs. May cause side effects in the form of paresthesia, depressive psychosis, erythrocytopenia.
• Platinum-containing drugs – carboplatin, cisplatin. Cytostatic drug, similar in action to alkylating agents. May cause suppression of hematopoiesis, hearing impairment.
• Biopreparations (targeted chemotherapy) – do not have a toxic effect on healthy cells, selectively affecting only malignant ones. One of such drugs is Avastin (Bevacizumab), which blocks tumor trophism and makes the process regress. This type of drug is still in the research stage: the first trial treatments of patients were successfully carried out only in 2009. Therefore, it is quite possible that biopreparations will soon become one of the main effective means of treating brain cancer.

Fortunately, progress does not stand still, and clinical trials of the latest and most promising drugs are constantly being conducted. The goal of such studies is to speed up cancer treatment, reduce the impact of therapy on healthy tissues of the body, and reduce the risk of side effects and complications after chemotherapy procedures.

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Radiation therapy for brain cancer

The method of radiation therapy is quite actively used in medicine for the treatment of oncological diseases. The essence of this method is to irradiate the neoplasm with radioactive rays.

Cancer cells, due to their accelerated metabolism, react to radiation exposure faster than healthy cells. Therefore, their growth and reproduction stop, they stop developing and, eventually, die.

Another advantage of radiation therapy is that it can be used in cases where the tumor, for some reason, cannot be removed surgically.

The use of radiation exposure is also possible after tumor resection, for the purpose of prevention and final destruction of residual cancerous tissue.

Sometimes radiation therapy is used to treat benign tumors that have developed significantly and pose a danger to the patient.

Radiation therapy can be radical (complete destruction of the tumor and recovery of the patient), palliative (slowing down the growth of the tumor to prolong the patient's life) and symptomatic (relief of symptoms of compression and pain).

There are several methods of radiation exposure:

• remote. This method is applicable mainly to deep foci of pathology, which are affected by static or mobile (rotational) irradiation;
• superficial. It is used when the pathology is located on the skin and mucous membranes. The procedure is carried out using an X-ray therapeutic device or an applicator with a radioactive substance;
• intracavitary. This type of irradiation is applicable to hollow organs (digestive system, bladder, uterus, nasopharynx). It is performed by sequentially introducing radioactive substances into the affected cavity;
• intra-tissue (brachytherapy). The essence of the procedure consists of introducing needle or tubular elements containing a radioactive charge directly into the tumor. It is also possible to inject the tumor with a radioactive solution.

There are two types of radiation therapy:

• external radiotherapy. The radiation beam is directed at the tumor from the outside, thus passing through the skin, skull bones, and areas of healthy brain tissue. Treatment with this method lasts 1-1.5 months with short breaks;
• internal radiotherapy. Involves the introduction of a radioactive capsule into the cancerous tumor, which is destroyed by the radiation emitted by the capsule. The treatment can last several days, during which the patient is hospitalized. The dosage of radioactive substances in the capsule is calculated individually for each patient.

The radiation used in this type of therapy can vary, so there are several types of radiation:

• application of gamma therapy. Based on the use of gamma rays.
• application of X-ray therapy. X-rays generated by X-ray therapy devices are used.
• use of beta therapy. This is electron beam therapy that uses radionuclide particles.
• application of neutron therapy. This is a corpuscular therapy based on the effect of neutron rays.
• Proton therapy applications – the use of protons to treat lesions that are in close proximity to vital areas of the brain.
• use of pi-meson therapy. Involves irradiation with nuclear particles. This type of treatment is successfully used in the USA.
• application of the Gamma Knife procedure. With this therapeutic method, irradiation is carried out not with a scattered, but with a concentrated light beam. This allows for a shorter exposure time and increases its effectiveness. Contraindications for this procedure are large tumors (more than 4 cm), elderly and childhood patients.

The radiation therapy procedure is performed after local anesthesia and careful fixation of the head with special devices. Then a three-dimensional diagnosis of the patient's brain is performed: this will allow the degree and targeting of radiation to be calculated in the future. The therapeutic procedure lasts about one hour.

Unfortunately, radiation exposure affects not only the affected tissues, but also healthy tissues, which can cause some side effects:

• radiation burns of the skin, hematomas and erosions of the skin on the head;
• toxic effect on the body of the decay products of cancer cells, which manifests itself as weakness, nausea, and vomiting;
• damage to hair follicles, resulting in hair loss or poor hair growth;
• cerebral edema and stroke (due to increased fragility of cerebral vessels).

Some side effects go away on their own over time, but more serious ones require consultation and assistance from a doctor.

The use of radiation (radio-) therapy ensures the death of cancer cells, the suppression of their development and reproduction. This method of treatment is applicable in cases where the use of surgical intervention is impossible or contraindicated, or partial removal of the neoplasm is performed. Sometimes radiotherapy is used after surgical resection to prevent recurrence of the tumor.

Radiation therapy uses targeted radiation that affects only the specific tissues to which the beam is directed, without affecting other organs or tissues.

Treatment of brain cancer with folk remedies

It should be noted that the effectiveness of folk remedies has no scientific evidence, so these recipe options are provided as general information.

• Garlic – has a strong antibiotic effect. It is used mainly in raw form: one clove three times a day before meals. The number of garlic cloves taken is gradually increased, bringing it to ten at a time. Wash it down with milk. The remedy is not used in patients with stomach ulcers.
• Hemlock, dry herb. Use 10 teaspoons of the herb per 300 ml of 40-70% alcohol. Infuse for two weeks in a dark place. Duration of taking the tincture is two months. Start taking with one drop per day, on the second day - two drops, etc. Can be diluted in a teaspoon of water. Do not wash down with additional liquid.
• Celandine. Brew 1 teaspoon of dry raw material in 1.5 liters of boiling water. Take instead of tea 45 minutes before meals in the morning and at night, 200 ml for 30 days. The course can be repeated after six months.
• Sunflower, petals. Pour boiling water over dry petals and take instead of tea three times a day.
• Plantain. The juice from the plant is taken one tablespoon before meals.
• Horsetail. Brew 50 g of dry raw material in 0.5 l of boiling water, leave for half an hour. Drink half a glass after meals.
• Burdock, root. 25 g of dry root should be poured with 500 ml of water, boiled for 20 minutes, then infused for half an hour and drunk one tablespoon up to four times a day;
• Dandelion, root. Boil 15 g of dry raw material in 0.5 l of water for 10 minutes. After 20 minutes, filter and drink 1 tbsp. before meals.

It is better to take herbal preparations in combination with traditional methods of therapy, then the effect of the treatment will be more noticeable.

Treatment of bone marrow cancer

Bone marrow oncology most often develops when a primary tumor localized in other organs metastasizes. Bone marrow cancer treatment is a rather difficult process that requires a certain individual approach.

Therapeutic measures for the disease begin with chemotherapeutic procedures. Taking cytostatic and cytotoxic drugs allows you to affect the cancerous tumor, slowing its growth and development, and reducing the clinical manifestations of the disease.

The most effective and radical therapeutic method in our time is bone marrow transplantation. This method is used when the benefit of drug therapy for a malignant disease has not been confirmed. This method of surgical intervention is one of the most complex in surgical practice. The patient undergoes a transplant of hematopoietic stem cells, which are preliminarily separated from donor blood.

Bone marrow transplantation can take place according to two scenarios:

• allogeneic type of surgery – transplantation of donor tissues;
• autogenous type of surgery – transplantation of the patient’s own stem cells.

Brain Cancer Treatment in Israel

Everyone knows that Israel is famous for its rapid development of medicine and its high level. The quality of medical services in this country is one of the best in the world. Private and public medical clinics and health centers that make up the Israeli healthcare system can serve both its own citizens and foreigners.

We present to your attention a list of the most professional and popular treatment centers in Israel.

1. Ichilov Medical Center is a scientific base of Tel Aviv University. The center's doctors perform all possible types of diagnostics and therapy of oncological diseases, including removal of malignant tumors, resection using the Gamma Knife device in the treatment of brain cancer. The center is designed for 1,100 patients, who are served by more than three thousand staff and about a thousand qualified professional specialists known throughout the world.
2. Medical Center Herzliya is a multidisciplinary center located on the Mediterranean coast near Tel Aviv. The hospital wards are equipped at the level of a five-star hotel. Six hundred medical specialists perform diagnostic and therapeutic procedures at the highest level, including any type of surgical intervention, organ and bone marrow transplantation, neurosurgery services. Of the external irradiation methods, the following procedures are used here: IGRT (radiation therapy with electronic visualization), IMRT (with 3D imaging of the tumor formation), SBRT (stereotactic radiotherapy method).
3. Rabin Medical Center (Beilinson) is the oldest public hospital in Israel, located in the town of Petah Tikva. A multidisciplinary medical structure, where world scientific research is conducted every year. The clinic is also famous for a large number of successful organ and bone marrow transplant operations. Thirty-seven functioning operating rooms, 5 thousand medical workers, almost one and a half thousand beds. Oncological diseases are successfully treated here with the help of the Novalis linear accelerator - a special device for the treatment of malignant tumors of the spine and brain.
4. Sheba Hospital (Shomer) is the leading state medical center in Israel. The hospital consists of a general and rehabilitation center. It is designed for 2,000 patients. This medical institution uses radiology, radiosurgery, maxillofacial surgery, and rehabilitation of cancer patients.
5. Assuta Medical Center is the elite of Israeli medicine, with 11 branches across the country. The center offers all known methods of treating diseases, including radiosurgery and radiation methods. Such treatment is used when the tumor is located in a place that is inaccessible from a surgical point of view, or when resection poses any real danger to the patient. Every year, the hospital performs about 100,000 surgical interventions and more than 230,000 diagnostic procedures.
6. Schneider Children's Medical Center is the only children's hospital in Israel that provides all possible types of medical services to pediatric patients. Surgery, neurosurgery, pediatric oncology, any diagnostic procedures - all necessary treatment and preventive measures are carried out here.

The effectiveness of Israeli medicine is known throughout the world. The best specialists in world medicine, professors, and researchers come to work in the country's clinics. In addition, the level of service in Israeli clinics can only be compared to the best hotels: the standards and level of healthcare are very high here.

Malignant neoplasms are deadly diseases. Unfortunately, such diseases are often diagnosed at stages when it is already difficult to help the patient. However, there is always a chance, and it should definitely be used. Modern medicine has enough opportunities and methods to ensure that brain cancer treatment is as successful as possible.