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Brain Cancer Treatment

Receive expert care quickly.

When you receive a brain tumor diagnosis you want answers and treatment right away. At Novant Health Cancer Institute you’ll be supported by a dedicated team of neurological and brain cancer specialists who use the latest surgical techniques and nonsurgical therapies to improve your response. Delivered by a caring collaborative team, we work beside you every step of the way.

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Brain tumor assessment

To determine if you have brain cancer, you may have a physical examination, tissue biopsies and one or more imaging studies like an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or CT (computerized tomography) scan. These scans provide detailed images of the brain.

It’s important to meet with your healthcare provider for brain tumor symptoms like headaches, changes in hearing, vision or speech, or problems with balance. Specialists sometimes recognize the signs of brain cancer while treating or examining patients for other conditions. If you receive a brain cancer diagnosis, additional tests may be performed before your team can develop a personalized treatment plan.

Spinal tumor assessment

Tumors in the spine are diagnosed similarly to brain tumors. A physical examination and one or more scans and biopsies may be necessary to assess tumors that occur outside the spine or inside the spine's lining and spinal cord.

What are brain and neurological cancers or tumors?

Brain metastases

Brain metastases are cancerous growths that have spread from another area of your body. While any cancer can spread, some forms, including lung, breast, colon and skin cancer (melanoma), are most likely to cause secondary brain tumors called brain metastases.

Symptoms of brain metastases can include memory loss, headaches and changes in personality.

Surgery, radiation therapy and radiosurgery are most often used to treat patients with this type of cancer. In some cases, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy may be effective.

Gliomas

Gliomas originate from the brain and spinal cord glial cells. Since gliomas grow within the brain's tissue, cancerous cells can become co-mingled with healthy brain cells.

Gliomas are usually classified as either high-grade or low-grade. Both can cause headaches, vision and speech problems, weakness and personality changes.

Low-grade gliomas are typically treated using a combination of surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Treatment for high-grade gliomas like glioblastoma usually includes surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and tumor treating fields therapy, which delivers mild electrical fields to the cells.

Meningiomas

Meningiomas are tumors that develop in membranes around the brain and spinal cord called meninges. They often grow slowly over long periods and don't always cause symptoms. Women are more likely to develop meningiomas than men. The majority are benign, meaning they do not grow and progress rapidly like a typical cancer might.

When meningiomas affect the nearby brain or spinal tissue, symptoms like headaches, seizures and sensory changes that affect hearing, vision and smell can occur. Treatment typically involves surgery, radiation therapy, or both.

Pituitary tumors

Pituitary tumors start in the pituitary gland, located just above the nasal passages below the brain. Although most pituitary tumors are benign, they can affect the pituitary gland's ability to produce and control hormones and may interfere with vision since the optic nerve is located nearby.

Treatment typically involves surgery, radiation therapy, or both.

Vestibular schwannomas

Vestibular schwannomas are also called acoustic neuromas. These noncancerous tumors form on the vestibular nerve that connects the inner ear and the brain. Vestibular schwannomas typically grow slowly. Symptoms can include hearing loss, ringing in the affected ear, balance problems and numbness or weakness in the face.

Treatment typically involves surgery, radiation therapy, or both.

Chordomas

Chordomas are slow-growing, malignant tumors that originate behind the eyes and nose at the skull base or in the spine. They may be benign or malignant. They can cause a wide range of symptoms, including headaches, hearing and vision changes, balance problems and pain.

Treatment typically involves surgery, radiation therapy, or both.

Why Choose Novant Health?

Accredited by multiple national organizations, including the Commission on Cancer and the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®), your Novant Health physician is committed to providing excellence in cancer care. You can feel confident that you will be supported throughout your cancer journey by a specialized team of experts focused on your specific needs. We work in state-of-the-art cancer care centers that are among the best in the country.

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Your cancer journey is unique. That’s why our nationally recognized cancer teams work with you to develop a personalized care plan. At Novant Health, you’ll have access to the most current treatment options available only at leading cancer institutes. Your treatment may include clinical research trials or robotics, microsurgeries, new radiation technologies, or cellular and immune therapies. Together, we can treat your cancer, manage your symptoms, and provide you with support at all stages.

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You're not alone on your cancer journey. At Novant Health, rest assured you’ll have all the resources you need to tackle your life-changing diagnosis. Our multidisciplinary, collaborative approach brings together experts with knowledge from different specialties to support you every step of the way. In addition to oncologists, radiologists, and surgeons, your team may include nurse navigators, nutritionists, integrative medicine specialists, genetic counselors, social workers, symptom management and palliative care specialists, and more.

Explore Cancer Resources

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Brain tumor treatment

Surgery

For many kinds of brain tumors, treatment begins with surgery. Surgery can help reduce brain cancer symptoms and prevent the cancer from growing or spreading. The goal of surgery is to remove as much of the tumor as is safe. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy may be recommended for high-grade tumors or if any parts of a tumor remain after surgery.

Explore Surgical Oncology

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy may be recommended with or after surgery, especially if not all of the tumor can be safely removed. The experts at Novant Health use leading-edge treatment, such as volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) and and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), in addition to other radiation therapies to treat brain tumors. SRS is a highly targeted form of radiation therapy used to treat tumors in sensitive or difficult-to-reach areas of the brain and spine.

Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT)

Laser interstitial thermal therapy, also called laser ablation or thermal ablation, is an innovative treatment for a brain tumor that can't be removed surgically or doesn't respond to SRS. The procedure involves inserting a laser catheter directly into the tumor to kill the tumor. LITT is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure that can be completed in minutes.

LITT is available in Novant Health Cancer Institute locations in Charlotte and Wilmington.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy has been shown to improve outcomes for certain low- and high-grade brain tumors. It may be recommended as one component of a treatment plan that includes surgery and radiation therapy or as a stand-alone treatment for more advanced tumors.

Explore Chemotherapy

GammaTile therapy

GammaTile therapy is a leading-edge brain tumor treatment that offers an ideal care experience through a reduction in treatment time, risk to healthy brain tissue, and side effects.

About the size of a postage stamp, GammaTiles are surgically implanted to deliver a focused dose of radiation only to where your brain needs it most.

Benefits

Seamless and convenient: Because they’re surgically implanted in one procedure, GammaTiles save you the time and stress of multiple hospital visits.
Dissolve naturally: Made of bioresorbable collagen tiles, GammaTiles dissolve naturally on their own, with no need for another surgery to remove them.
Immediate: After a traditional brain tumor surgery, you typically have to wait to start radiation therapy separately. Instead, GammaTile radiation therapy begins working immediately.
Safe, targeted radiation delivery: Because GammaTiles deliver precise radiation to just the tumor site, your surrounding brain tissue’s unnecessary exposure to radiation is minimized.
Minimized side effects: Compared to external beam radiation, you can expect less hair loss, fewer cognitive impairments, and reduced risk of general long-term radiation side effects.

GammaTile therapy may be best for you if you:

Have had recurrent brain tumors
Need further treatment after already having had external beam radiation treatments

GammaTile therapy is currently available at select Novant Health locations in the Wilmington area.

Nationally Recognized Care

National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC)
Commission on Cancer (CoC)
Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI)
Radiation Oncology Practice Accreditation (ROPA-ACR)
APEx Accreditation (ASTRO)
Magnet Recognition-American Nursing Credentialing Center
American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP)
National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)
Southeast Clinical Oncology Research Consortium (SCOR)/National Cancer Institute (NCI) Community Oncology Research Program
Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT)
National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC)

You’re Entitled to a Second Opinion.

Are you concerned or confused about a cancer diagnosis or treatment recommendation you've received?

Another perspective on your case and options can give you some peace of mind. Reach out for a virtual session or in-person consultation.

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Experience the Future of Cancer Care, Today.

Together, we can beat cancer. Clinical research studies drive breakthroughs in the prevention, detection and treatment of many cancer conditions.

If eligible to join a clinical trial, you could access new cancer treatments before they’re available to the general public. Explore clinical trials and speak with your cancer team to see if any are right for you.

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Brain Cancer Treatment

Receive expert care quickly.

Brain tumor assessment

Spinal tumor assessment

What are brain and neurological cancers or tumors?

Why Choose Novant Health?

Brain tumor treatment

Nationally Recognized Care

You’re Entitled to a Second Opinion.

Experience the Future of Cancer Care, Today.

Search for Clinical Trials at Novant Health