Click to view full-size image and description

Teams of doctors from multiple disciplines collaborate in Einstein’s Brain Tumor Program to develop and implement the most appropriate treatment plan for each patient. Among our arsenal of treatment tools are the most technologically advanced surgical techniques for treating many kinds of brain tumors. Click a link below to learn more.

Pituitary Tumors

Cranial Base Tumors

Metastatic Cancers

Treatments

Click to view full-size image and description

Pituitary tumors are growths on the pituitary gland (which regulates and controls hormone secretion throughout the body) located at the base of the brain; these make up 10 percent of primary brain tumors and affect one in 10,000 people. While most are benign, their growth can invade other structures in the body such as optic nerves. Einstein neurosurgeons treat pituitary tumors in concert with a multidisciplinary team comprising specialists in neuro-ophthamology, endocrinology, otorhinolaryngology, diagnostic radiology and radiation oncology. Therapy options include non-operative treatment, minimally invasive endoscopic surgery and microsurgical pituitary tumor removal. Using these techniques, Einstein medical professionals can control or cure patients’ tumors, restoring or preserving visual and hormonal function.

Click to view full-size image and description

Cranial base tumors include meningiomas and acoustic neuromas, as well as malignant tumors of the skull and sinuses. Meningiomas make up about 15 to 20 percent of all primary brain tumors and affect more women than men. These usually benign tumors grow from the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Acoustic neuromas are benign tumors on the eighth cranial nerve which cause hearing loss. Cranial base tumors require unique surgical approaches and frequently involve other surgical specialties such as otorhinolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) and plastic surgery. Einstein offers both open surgery and minimally invasive surgical treatments such as endoscopy. In some cases, stereotactic radiosurgery at Einstein Radiosurgery Center offers another alternative to open surgery or it can be used after surgery to prevent tumors from recurring.

Metastatic brain tumors are masses created by the growth of cancerous cells in the brain — cancerous cells that have traveled to the brain from another part of the body. They occur in about one-fourth of all cancers that spread through the body and are more common than primary brain tumors, occurring in approximately four out of 100,000 people. Lung, colon and renal cancers account for 80 percent of metastatic brain tumors in men. Breast, lung, colon and melanoma cancers account for 80 percent of metastatic brain tumors in women. Einstein’s Neuro-oncology Program features specialists from multiple disciplines, such as neurosurgery, medical oncology and radiation therapy. These specialists work together to provide comprehensive treatment of malignant brain tumors that includes frameless stereotactic surgery with intra-operative image guidance, postoperative radiation therapy and chemotherapy.