Brain Tumor and Cancer

Brain Cancer Treatment

After a biopsy confirms a malignant brain tumor diagnosis, the following UI Health physicians collaborate on treatment options or become involved in a patient’s care:

• Neuro-oncologists
• Neurosurgeons
• Radiation Oncologists
• Medical Oncologists
• Neuropathologists
• Neuroradiologists
• Neuropsychologists

These UI Health providers meet weekly during for a tumor board conference to discuss patient cases and determine the most effective treatment strategy tailored to each patient.

Treatment Options

The UI Health Brain Cancer Program offers many of the latest advancements in brain cancer treatment, including:

Surgery

As long as resecting a tumor will not result in neurological injury, surgery is typically the first step in treating a malignant brain tumor. Advanced techniques available at UI Health include:

• Functional MRI assists in planning surgical resection and radiation therapy by helping physicians understand where a tumor is located relative to critical areas of the brain.
• Image-guided surgery enhances surgical precision by allowing physicians to better visualize and avoid critical structures during tumor resection.
• Intraoperative brain mapping, also known as awake brain surgery, enhances surgical precision. Patients perform requested functions throughout the procedure, enabling physicians to pinpoint areas key to functional status better.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is a key component of managing brain cancer in adults. Available radiation therapies include:

• 3-D conformal radiation therapy
• Hypofractionated radiation therapy
• Image-guided and intensity-modulated radiation therapy
• Re-radiation for patients with tumor recurrence
• Radiosurgery

Chemotherapy

For more than 50 years, researchers have been continually developing and administering medical therapies capable of passing the blood-brain barrier and killing cancerous tissues while preserving the normal brain.

Precision Medicine

A subset of chemotherapy using drugs that target specific DNA mutations within the cancer cells while sparing healthy cells. Analysis of the DNA mutations within each tumor sample is routinely done at UI Health at diagnosis allowing treating physicians to develop personalized treatment strategies for patients in a timely manner.

Immunotherapy

A recent addition to the cancer treatment modalities whereby the immune system is stimulated to attack the cancer cells.

Clinical Trials

Physicians may recommend clinical trials during diagnosis or when standard therapies fail to treat cancer effectively. UI Health participates in both institutional and national trials.

Other Services: Neurofibromatosis Clinic

Neurofibromatosis (NF) is a genetic syndrome linked to the development of benign and, in some cases, malignant tumors in the brain, spinal cord, or nerves. There are three main types of neurofibromatosis:

1. 1. Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1)
   2. Neurofibromatosis type 2- schwannomatosis (NF2-SWN)
   3. Non-NF2-schwannomatosis

At UI Health there is a dedicated adult and pediatric neurofibromatosis clinic providing expert care for patients affected by NF. A multidisciplinary team which includes neuro-oncologists, neurosurgeons, medical oncologists, genetic counselors, and dermatologists among others is dedicated to meet the unique needs of each patient. UI Health provides cutting edge treatments for patients with NF including recent FDA-approved treatments with MEK inhibitors as well as clinical trials with new therapies.