Treatment Options by Type of Adult Brain Tumor
A link to a list of current clinical trials is included for each treatment section. For some types or stages of cancer, there may not be any trials listed. Check with your doctor for clinical trials that are not listed here but may be right for you.
Astrocytic Tumors
General Information About Atypical Teratoid / Rhabdoid Tumor
Central nervous system atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the brain. Central nervous system (CNS) atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT) is a very rare, fast-growing tumor of the brain and spinal cord. It usually occurs in children younger than three years of age, although it can occur in older children and adults. About half of these tumors form in the cerebellum or brain stem. The cerebellum is the part of the brain that...
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Brain Stem Gliomas
Treatment of brain stem gliomas is radiation therapy, including hyperfractionated radiation therapy.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with adult brain stem glioma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Pineal Astrocytic Tumors
Treatment of pinealastrocytictumors may include the following:
- Surgery and radiation therapy, with or without chemotherapy.
- A clinical trial of external radiation therapy with or without radiosensitizers, intraoperative radiation therapy, or hyperthermia therapy.
- A clinical trial of external radiation therapy, followed by new anticancer drugs and biologic therapy.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with adult pineal gland astrocytoma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Pilocytic Astrocytomas
Treatment of pilocyticastrocytoma is usually surgery with or without radiation therapy.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with adult pilocytic astrocytoma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Diffuse Astrocytomas
Treatment of diffuseastrocytoma may include the following:
- Surgery with or without radiation therapy.
- A clinical trial of radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy for tumors that could not be completely removed by surgery.
- A clinical trial of radiation therapy given when the tumor progresses.
- A clinical trial to compare high-dose and low-dose radiation therapy.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with adult diffuse astrocytoma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Anaplastic Astrocytomas
Treatment of anaplasticastrocytoma may include the following:
- Surgery and radiation therapy, with or without chemotherapy.
- A clinical trial of external radiation therapy and one of the following:
- Hyperfractionated radiation therapy.
- Accelerated-fraction radiation therapy.
- Stereotactic radiosurgery.
- Radiosensitizers.
- Hyperthermia therapy.
- Internal radiation therapy.
- Intraoperative radiation therapy.
- A clinical trial of external radiation therapy, followed by new anticancer drugs and biologic therapy.
- A clinical trial of chemotherapy combined with hyperfractionated radiation therapy or internal and external radiation therapy.
- A clinical trial of chemotherapy placed into the brain during surgery.
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