Brain tumors are uncommon neoplasms, but their treatment is a complex task because a doctor has to destroy the tumor and, at the same time, avoid damaging important areas of the central nervous system so as not to worsen neurological functions. Doctors at hospitals abroad are successfully coping with this task. They treat not only benign but also malignant tumors. Operations are performed using state-of-the-art equipment, which allows, on the one hand, to achieve complete tumor removal, which reduces the risk of recurrence, and, on the other hand, to minimize damage to normal tissues. You can find out the brain tumor removal cost and choose a medical care program on the Booking Health website.

Principles of treatment for brain tumors

There are many types of brain tumors. The most common are glioblastomas, which are gliomas of the fourth grade, the highest grade, and meningiomas, which are mostly benign.

Surgery is considered the best method for treating any tumor. Sometimes a surgical procedure is enough to cure the patient, and other treatment methods are not required. However, in cases of malignant tumors and when benign neoplasms cannot be completely removed, patients need irradiation, sometimes along with chemotherapy.

In cases of inoperable tumors or if the patient has contraindications to surgery, radiation therapy becomes the main treatment method. For some types of tumors, embolization, ablation, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy can be used.

How is a brain tumor removed abroad?

The most important principle of tumor removal surgery is that it must be completely resected. Such a surgical removal is called total.

In cases where patients have glioblastomas, it is difficult to remove the entire tumor because its tissues differ minimally from normal brain tissues, and it is impossible to remove the nervous tissue with a margin because this will lead to a deep neurological deficit. However, the specialists from developed countries have found a solution to this problem, and this is as follows: they use a dye that “illuminates” the tumor when examined under the special light of an operating microscope. As a result, the efficiency of operations has increased dramatically. If earlier doctors could totally remove only a third of malignant tumors, now total resection is achieved in two out of three cases.

It is equally important to remove the entire tumor when dealing with meningiomas. Doctors from leading clinics perform resections to remove not only the neoplasm itself but also the matrix, which is the part of the brain meninges from which the tumor grows. If the matrix cannot be removed, it will be coagulated, which means that it will be treated with various energies, for example, with a laser, in order to destroy the growth zone.

How is radiation therapy used abroad?

The top brain tumor hospitals use the very latest irradiation options. These are safer than standard methods. The leading centers use CyberKnife and Gamma Knife. These devices can destroy small neoplasms in one or more procedures, despite the fact that the standard course of radiation lasts one and a half months.

Several European medical centers use proton therapy. This is the safest way to irradiate brain tumors, which is recommended for use in children and when tumors are located near functionally important areas of the brain, damage to which must be avoided. Protons differ from commonly used photons in that they destroy tumors with less radiation exposure to surrounding tissues.

You are welcome to use the Booking Health service to undergo your treatment abroad. On our website, you can find out prices and make an appointment for treatment for your preferred dates. The cost of treatment and your medical expenses will be lower due to the absence of additional taxes for foreign patients. The Booking Health specialists will help you find the most suitable hospital, a doctor, and take care of all the arrangements for your trip.