CNS tumors are typically treated using one or more of the following options: * Surgery * Radiation Therapy * Chemotherapy * Targeted therapy * Active surveillance Treatment of CNS tumors frequently involves a team of doctors working together, including neurosurgeons, neurologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and endocrinologists. Surgery Surgeries are used both to diagnose and to treat CNS tumors. Removal of tumor tissues helps decrease the pressure of the tumor on nearby parts of the brain. The main goal of surgery is to remove as much as possible of the tumor mass while preserving normal brain function, and to relieve the symptoms caused by the tumor such as headache, nausea and vomiting. Some tumors are deep-seated and unsafe to remove, and in these cases the role of surgery may be limited to obtaining a diagnostic biopsy. After the surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy may be used to destroy the remaining cancer cells. Radiation therapy Radiation therapy uses high energy rays to destroy cancer cells or to shrink tumors. The kind of rays used are x-rays, gamma rays, electron beams or protons. According to the National Cancer Institute, there are two types of radiation therapy: * external radiation therapy * internal radiation therapy External radiation therapy or teletherapy uses a machine that sends a focused beam of radiation directed at the location of the tumor in the body. The radiation may be delivered from several angles or in a shaped beam to maximize the dose delivered to the tumor while reducing the harm to healthy parts of the body. Treatment is commonly given daily for 4-8 weeks. In internal radiation therapy, the source of radiation is inserted into the patient's body. This may be done by placing a solid source of radiation adjacent to the tumor in the form of a seed, ribbon or capsule (brachytherapy) or by giving the patient a liquid source of radiation that travels through the body and kills cancer cells<unk>  therapy). In this case the radiation is usually given in the form of injections, ingesting a capsule or through an intravenous line. Chemotherapy Chemotherapy is a treatment that uses a tumor-killing drug to prevent the growth of cancer cells by stopping them from dividing. It is often used after surgery or as the first line of treatment. The drug may be given<unk> ically, by injection into a vein or by mouth, or may be injected into the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord to allow the drug to reach the tumor without crossing the blood–brain barrier (intrathecal administration). Common side effects of chemotherapy include: * Hair loss * Mouth sores * Loss of appetite * Nausea * Diarrhea * Increased rate of infections * Easy bruising and bleeding * Fatigue Targeted therapy An increasing number of drugs are available that promise to target a tumor specifically, reducing harm to normal cells. These therapies are matched to the specific tumor, and include antibodies that bind to specific surface molecules found primarily on the tumor, or small molecules that target proteins mutated in the tumor. Targeted therapies may block enzymes or other proteins necessary for cancer cell proliferation, deliver toxic substances directly to cancer cells, help with immune<unk>  function, or prevent the tumor from obtaining the nutrients it needs. For example, bevacizumab is a targeted therapy drug used against various cancers, including glioblastoma, that blocks the blood supply to and therefore the proliferation of cancerous tumors. Checkpoint inhibitors, which prevent the tumor from blocking the action of tumor-killing cells of the immune<unk> . are also being tested for CNS tumor therapy. Although targeted therapy may have fewer side effects than other forms of cancer treatment, side effects are still frequent and may include high blood pressure, fatigue, increased risk of infection, or diarrhea. Active surveillance All treatments for CNS tumors have significant risks and side-effects. In cases where tumors are slow growing and do not cause symptoms, it may be preferable to closely watch the patient's condition without any treatment, until new test results or symptoms indicate that the patient's condition has worsened.
Central nervous system tumor
Brain tumor
Spinal tumor
Brain stem tumor
Basal ganglia disease
Central nervous system viral disease
Spinal cord injury
Central nervous system cyst