Brain & Spinal Cord Tumors
Life is often busy and full of adventure. A health diagnosis can abruptly stop even the busiest of people. When you’re diagnosed with cancer, your focus changes to fighting the disease using the best treatment options available. This focus is no different for adults with brain and spinal cord tumors.
Treatment for cancer in the central nervous system varies from that of tumors that metastasize, or spread, to the brain or spinal cord. At SSM Health Cancer Care, our skilled care teams help patients fight both brain and spinal cord tumors. We design a customized treatment plan for you, involving you in every decision-making stage of your treatment, so you can be a part of your care.
Signs & Symptoms of Brain & Spinal Cord Tumors
SSM Health Cancer Care actively treats patients with metastatic brain cancer. Tumors that start in the brain or spinal cord can present different signs and symptoms:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Headaches that tend to worsen over time
- Blurred vision
- Problems balancing or walking
- Problems with language
- Seizures (occur in about half of people with a brain tumor)
- Personality or behavior changes
- Drowsiness
- Trouble swallowing
- Weakness of facial muscles
SSM Health Cancer Care treats and sees adult patients with central nervous system cancers. Our children’s hospital, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon is setup to see and treat the specific needs of our pediatric cancer patients.
Diagnosing Brain & Spinal Cord Tumors
Pinpointing tumors in the central nervous system can be done using traditional diagnostic methods including: a physical exam, chest X-ray, CT scan, MRI, blood and urine test. Other possible diagnostic studies we offer:
- Angiograms
- Biopsies
- Positron-emission tomography (PET) scans
- Stereotactic needle biopsies
- Surgical or open craniotomy biopsies
- Lumbar punctures (spinal taps)
Central Nervous System Tumors We Treat
SSM Health Cancer Care actively sees and treats:
- Glioma: group of tumors that start in glial cells and are often fast-growing
- Astrocytomas: tumors that originate in the star-shaped astrocyte cells in the brain; may spread in a fluctuating manner with some cells either not growing, or growing slowly, and others advancing more aggressively
- Oligodendrogliomas: slow growing brain tumors that can infiltrate nearby brain tissue, making them difficult to remove completely by surgery
- Ependymoma: spread through the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pathway but not beyond the brain or spinal cord
- Mixed gliomas: tumor comprised of more than one cell type
- Meningioma: Twice as common in women, tumor originates in the meninges — the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord
- Medulloblastoma: fast-growing tumors that spread through the CSF pathway
- Ganglioglioma: uncommon in adults often cured with surgery and/or radiation therapy
- Schwannomas (neurilemoma): benign tumors affecting the nerve sheath, often grow slowly by pushing aside nerve fibers and may surround and insulate the cranial nerve
Brain & Spinal Cord Tumor Treatment Factors
Developing a treatment plan includes analyzing the location and size of your tumor, your medical condition and age and the stage of your cancer. Once we have developed your tailored treatment plan our board-certified oncologists, neurosurgeons and supportive care professionals will help guide you through the treatment process. When you work with the specialists at SSM Health Cancer Care you know you’re receiving the highest possible level of care through the most advanced cancer care technology. Make an appointment with SSM Health Cancer Care and learn more about your options today.
SSM Health is here to help you through a brain or spinal cord tumor diagnosis. Our cancer specialists have the necessary tools and expertise to accurately diagnose and develop a treatment plan specifically for you.