Brain Cancer
Receiving a diagnosis of a brain or nervous system tumor can be a frightening experience. In addition to absorbing a lot of new information about your or your loved one’s status, you may also be wondering how to pick a care team, what treatments options are available and how this will impact your life.
At Atlanta Cancer Care, we understand this is a challenging time and our multidisciplinary neuro oncology team is dedicated to helping you find the right answers for your specific needs. We are committed to providing world-class care in a local, convenient location. Atlanta Cancer Care’s neuro oncology team offers a comprehensive scope of services, the latest technology, leading-edge clinical research and compassionate support.
Signs, Symptoms and Diagnosis
There are no widely recommended tests to screen for brain tumors. Most brain tumors are found when a person sees a doctor because of signs or symptoms. Signs and symptoms of brain tumors may occur gradually and become worse over time, or they can happen suddenly, such as a seizure.
Cancer (tumors) in any part of the brain may cause the pressure inside the skull to rise. This can be caused by growth of the tumor itself, swelling in the brain or blockage of the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Increased pressure can lead to general symptoms such as:
- Headache
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Blurred vision
- Balance problems
- Personality or behavior changes
- Seizures
- Drowsiness or even coma
Types of brain tumors include:
Primary brain tumors originate in the brain and may be classified as malignant or benign.
- Type and grade of the tumor
- Location of the tumor
- Whether the tumor can be removed by surgery
- Whether visible cancer cells remain after surgery
- Results of genetic mutation testing of the tumor tissue
- Whether the tumor has just been diagnosed or has recurred
- Patient’s general health and age
Metastatic brain tumors result from a cancer that started somewhere else in the body.
- The number of tumors in the brain
- Location of the brain tumor(s)
- Whether the tumor(s) can be removed by surgery
- Whether visible cancer cells remain after surgery
- How well the primary cancer is responding to treatment
- Whether the primary cancer is continuing to grow or spread
- Patient’s general health and age
Diagnosis of Brain Tumors
Patients may undergo several of the following procedures to confirm a brain or CNS tumor diagnosis and build a subsequent treatment plan:
- Medical history and physical exam
- Neurological exam
- Imaging tests
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan
- Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA)
- Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS)
- Magnetic resonance perfusion
- Functional MRI (fMRI)
- Computed tomography (CT) scan
- Positron emission tomography (PET) scan
- Chest x-ray
- Angiogram
- Brain tumor biopsy
- Tumor marker test / Gene testing
Treatment
Our neuro oncology team of experts treat brain tumors and cancers of the central nervous system, as well as the neurological complications resulting from cancer. Atlanta Cancer Care’s neuro oncology specialists and supportive care team members work together to ensure all patients receive high quality, evidence-based care.
We offer specialized care for many different types of brain tumors and other cancers of the central nervous system. Examples include:
- Metastatic cancer in the brain, spine or cerebrospinal fluid
- Gliomas and malignant gliomas
- Meningiomas and malignant meningiomas
- Spinal cord tumors
- Neurologic complications of cancers