Brain Tumor Program
Diagnosis & Treatment of Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors
The Brain Tumor Program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center offers multidisciplinary expertise in diagnosing and treating all common brain and spinal cord tumors.
Malignant Tumors
Most frequently these tumors include:
- Gliomas, malignant tumors that arise in the supportive tissue of the brain (called glial cells). They are equivalent to cancerous lesions. Some of the more common forms of glioma include astrocytoma, glioblastoma and oligodendroglioma.
- Meningiomas, tumors forming from the protective lining of the brain cavity, which can turn into malignant tumors. These can occur in the spinal cord or brain.
- Secondary brain tumors from cancer of the body or skin that has metastasized to the brain. Metastases are cancer cell deposits that have spread from an original or "primary site" to one or more secondary locations or organs elsewhere in the body. Secondary brain tumors, always malignant, can most frequently originate from lung, breast, melanoma (skin), or lymphoma cancers.
- Neurological complications such as headache or confusion that may result from tumor spread, chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy treatments.
Benign Tumors
We also treat benign, non-cancerous, brain and spinal tumors. These include:
- Schwannoma (also known as an vestibular or acoustic neuroma), which are benign tumors of the hearing nerve;
- Chordoma, a benign tumor that forms at either the base of the skull or the end of the spine; and
- Pituitary adenoma, a benign, slow-growing tumor arising from the pituitary gland.
You can read more about brain tumors and brain cancer – causes, risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention – in the “Your Health” section of our website.
Patient-centered Care
The Brain Tumor Program is designed around the needs of patients and their families. Our care team includes physicians with expertise in neuro-oncology, neurosurgery, radiation oncology, and neuropathology, all of whom have appointments at Harvard Medical School.
Evaluation and Treatment
An evaluation in the center can be arranged within one week. Patients are seen by each clinical team member in just one session, eliminating the need to schedule multiple appointments. When necessary, patients can be directly admitted to the medical center for immediate treatment. Patients are evaluated and managed using state-of-the-art neurosurgical techniques, radiation treatments, and chemotherapy drugs.
Long-Term Care
Surveillance and long-term care is an important part of our program. Our follow-up care after your initial treatment includes physician evaluation to address any symptoms, and radiologic scans to evaluate tumor relapse in the original site or in metastatic (spreading to) sites. You may need additional treatment – radiation and/or chemotherapy – if your cancer returns. Surveillance care continues at regular intervals for many years.
Learning Center
Our patients will also have access to the Beth Israel Deaconess Learning Center. Nurses are available to teach patients and their family self-care procedures. Staff at the Learning Center will also assist patients and their families in gathering information about their disease, including psycho-social support groups that are available in the Boston area.
