Brain Metastases Treatments
Treatments vary, depending on the type and location of your brain tumor.
The three standard treatments are:
- Surgery
- Radiation therapy including stereotactic radiosurgery
- Chemotherapy
Your doctor may recommend one or a combination of these treatments.
Minimally invasive surgery for brain metastases
Whenever possible, surgeons will remove brain metastases. The type of surgical treatment depends on the size and location of the tumor.
Several minimally invasive surgical options allow UPMC surgeons to access brain metastases that previously were difficult or impossible to reach.
Metastatic tumors in the skull base or upper spine may be approached directly using the Endoscopic Endonasal Approach (EEA). This state-of-the-art, minimally invasive approach allows surgeons to access the tumor through the natural corridor of the nose, without making an open incision. Surgeons then remove the tumor through the nose and nasal cavities.
EEA offers the benefits of no incisions to heal, no disfigurement, and a faster recovery time. If you need complementary treatments, such as radiation, those therapies can begin soon after EEA surgery.
Neuroendoport® surgery offers a minimally invasive option for tumors within the ventricles (fluid spaces) or deep-seated tumors within the substance of the brain. A narrow tube or port allows surgeons to access these tumors through a tiny incision in the scalp, in contrast to traditional brain surgery.
Radiation therapy for brain metastases
Radiation is a common treatment for brain metastases, since surgery isn't always an option.
We deliver radiation therapy:
- Externally, by directing radiation at the tumor from an outside source.
- Internally, by placing radioactive material directly in the body near the cancer.
- Using stereotactic radiosurgery, such as the Gamma Knife®, by sending a concentrated dose of radiation directly to the brain tumor.
Gamma Knife radiosurgery is a painless procedure that uses hundreds of highly focused radiation beams to target tumors and lesions within the brain, with no surgical incision.
As the nation's leading provider of Gamma Knife procedures, UPMC has treated more than 12,000 patients with tumors, vascular malformations, pain, and other functional problems.
Chemotherapy for cancerous brain metastases
Chemotherapy uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells.
Depending on the type and stage of brain cancer, chemotherapy may be taken by mouth, injected, or placed directly into the brain tumor.
