Treatment for brain tumor:

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Treatment depends on the type of brain tumor. The three main treatment methods are: Surgery, Radiation and Chemotherapy. * Surgery — This is the mainstay of brain tumor treatment. It involves removing as much of the tumor as possible while trying to minimize damage to the healthy tissue. The aim could be either complete removal of the tumor (complete resection) or removing only a part of it in order to facilitate the radiotherapy thereafter (debulking). Complete resection of malignant tumors is usually not possible. * Radiation — By careful aiming and regulation of the dose, high-energy radiation can be used to destroy cancer cells. The X-rays are either produced by a special machine outside the body and are directed to the place of the tumor in the brain (this is called External Beam Radiotherapy), or are produced by radioactive material that is inserted surgically into the tumor (this is named Brachytherapy). Unfortunately, radiation of the whole brain, which is often given in the case of malignant tumors, has side effects such as cell damage with change in personality and loss of intellect in some cases. * Chemotherapy — Drugs are used to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Chemotherapy may be taken by pill, or it may be put into the body by inserting a needle into a vein or muscle. Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drugs enter the bloodstream and can kill cancer cells throughout the body. Although chemotherapy is highly effective in treating some cancers, it is less successful in treating brain tumors. However it has a very well established place in palliative settings (when the major objective is not a cure, but the alleviation of symptoms). Chemotherapy is also very important in treating of some childhood brain tumors. As always with chemotherapy, patients need to carefully examine the risks and benefits of treatment: in the event that the prognosis is grave, chemotherapy may adversely affect quality of life at a time and require hospitalization when patients need to make the most of their time with their families and loved ones.