When performing neurosurgery, we always use the least invasive, most precise techniques possible to access and remove tumors, with the goal of minimizing damage to healthy tissue. This may include endoscopic neurosurgery, which involves drilling one or more small holes in your skull that a camera and small telescopic instruments can be passed through. It may also include microsurgery, which uses a high-powered microscope to magnify the surgical area, helping to improve precision when operating in highly delicate areas of the brain.

In cases where the tumor is difficult to reach using an endoscopic procedure, your surgeon may perform a craniotomy, removing a larger area of the skull to access and remove the tumor.

Einstein offers some of the most advanced radiation therapy treatments available using the Varian TrueBeam® and Varian Trilogy® linear accelerators, which allow us to precisely target tumors with high-energy beams of radiation while minimizing damage to nearby healthy cells.

If your tumors are small enough, or in areas where it would be risky to operate, your doctor may recommend stereotactic radiosurgery as an alternative to surgery. For larger tumors, radiation therapy may be used to shrink the tumor before surgery. If your cancer has metastasized and spread to other areas of your brain, your doctor may also recommend whole brain radiation therapy to kill any cancer cells that may have migrated from the tumor site.

Chemotherapy drugs target and kill dividing cells, which makes them an effective treatment against cancer because cancer cells divide much more often than most normal types of cells.

Chemotherapy is often used in combination with other cancer treatments, such as radiation therapy or surgery, and can target cancer cells that may have been missed by other treatments or have spread to other areas of the body.

Your treatment may also include immunotherapy, also called biologic therapy, which helps your body’s own immune system fight the cancer.

Your individual chemotherapy treatment plan will vary based on the type of cancer you have, where it is in your body, your overall health and other factors. A typical treatment plan may include four to eight rounds of chemotherapy, with several treatments per round, followed by a recovery period of two to four weeks. Most chemotherapy drugs are administered intravenously on an outpatient basis, but you may also have the option of taking tablets or capsules.

By using highly accurate MRI scans along with navigational tools that create 3D maps, your surgical team will be able plan the best place for an incision that will allow the easiest and safest access to the tumor. This will help your surgeon remove the tumor with as little damage to healthy tissue as possible.