Once scans show a suspected brain tumor, the next step will likely be a consultation with a neurosurgeon, radiation oncologist or neuro-oncologist. The neurosurgeon will look at the scans to determine if the tumor(s) can be surgically removed, or if other treatment options would be more reasonable.
Treatment Options
The three main categories of treatments include surgery, radiation and medical therapy (chemotherapy, targeted therapy or immune-based therapy). More than one type of treatment might be suggested.
​
Early treatment of your brain tumor will focus on controlling symptoms, such as swelling of the brain and/or seizures.
-Steroids (most commonly dexamethasone or decadron) are drugs used to reduce the swelling that can occur around a brain tumor. Reducing the swelling in the brain can reduce the raised brain pressure, and thus temporarily reduce the symptoms of a metastatic brain tumor.
-Antiepileptic (anti-seizure) drugs such as levetiracetam orphenytoin or lacosamide are commonly used to control seizures.
Research shows that the number of metastases is not the sole predictor of how well you might do following treatment. Your neurological function (how you are affected by your brain metastases due to the position of the tumor), the status of the primary cancer site, and type of cancer and the genetic alterations in cancer also appear to influence overall survival.