Brain and Spinal Tumors Treatment

When you are diagnosed with brain or spinal cord cancer, you can expect a thorough treatment protocol while also keeping in mind that speed is crucial. The type of treatment depends on what type of brain or spinal cord tumor you have.

Treatment options depend on where the brain or spinal tumor is located, the size of the tumor, as well as factors like your age and overall health. When beginning brain tumor treatment, here’s what you can expect.

Because every brain or spinal tumor is unique, each patient’s treatment plan must be unique as well. Winship’s team of highly qualified brain experts will create a comprehensive, personalized treatment protocol that meets the needs of each patient. Your doctor will discuss results from your imaging scans as well as other diagnostic results with you. They will then recommend what they believe is the best treatment option.

Every patient’s brain cancer treatment option will be tailored and unique to their individual case. At Winship, you can be assured that you are receiving unrivaled care.

Treatment options can include:

Surgery

Surgery to remove the tumor is often the first step in treating brain or spinal cord cancer. Depending on the grade and location of the tumor, brain surgery types and surgical options range from minimally invasive endoscopic treatment to more complex surgeries. Laser interstitial thermal therapy, novel implantable therapeutics, tumor fluorescence and state-of-the-art surgical techniques are utilized specific to your individual tumor.

Chemotherapy

These cancer-killing drugs are often used in conjunction with other therapies to treat brain cancer and can be administered orally or intravenously (through an IV).

Radiation Therapy

Winship offers several radiation-based treatment options , including external beam radiation (intensity-modulated radiotherapy and on-board imaging) and linear accelerator-based and Gamma Knife© radiosurgery, a minimally invasive alternative to surgery.

Proton Therapy

Winship is the only cancer center in Georgia, and one of a select group in the entire United States, to offer proton therapy, a powerful and precise form of radiation therapy used to treat brain and spinal tumors in some patients. Proton therapy delivers a high dose of radiation to a tumor while avoiding damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

Immunotherapy

This type of treatment uses drugs to enhance your immune system’s ability to recognize and attack cancer cells.

Targeted Therapy

In this form of precision medicine, researchers identify unique characteristics of tumors that make them vulnerable to known drugs so therapy can be tailored to an individual's cancer. At Winship, our investigators are leading the charge when it comes to looking for new drugs that will selectively target brain cancer cells and have fewer side effects.

As Georgia’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Winship researchers are leaders in the treatment of brain and spinal tumors, pioneering dozens of clinical trials to study new treatment options each year. This is why we can offer you access to the latest treatments for your type of cancer you won’t find at other cancer centers. We make every effort to match as many patients as possible to ongoing research.

Coping with brain cancer and brain cancer treatment is incredibly challenging for patients as well as their families. To provide as much support as possible, Winship offers a supportive oncology team of specialized doctors and nurses who can help with the physical, psychological and emotional aspects of living with cancer, including symptom management and counseling. This exceptional team of counselors, nurse navigators, dietitians and social service professionals will be with you every step of the way, supporting you along your treatment journey.