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Brain Cancer

A beautiful woman wears a head wrap and gazes into the distance

Trinity Health delivers specialized care for brain tumors and brain cancer that can help you begin to return to normal life. We offer the latest technologies and access to uncommon cancer expertise close to home.

Our team includes fellowship-trained neurosurgeons with years of experience treating rare and complex brain tumors. You also benefit from specialized nursing care and a team of therapists who help keep your treatment moving forward.

Brain Tumors and Brain Cancer

At Trinity Health, you receive effective care that aims to eliminate the tumor while preserving your healthy brain and nervous system. Our innovative surgical technologies allow our team to deliver your care with great precision.

Types of brain tumors we treat include:

  • Glioblastomas, a rare, but fast-growing type of brain cancer
  • Gliomas, tumors that occur in the cells that support the nerves
  • Metastatic brain tumors, which appear when cancer in other parts of the body spread to the brain
  • Pituitary tumors, abnormal growths in the pituitary gland, which controls your endocrine system (glands that make hormones to regulate body functions)
  • Skull base tumors, meningiomas and acoustic neuromas

Brain cancer is a form of central nervous system cancer, a group of conditions affecting the brain, nerves and spinal cord. Find out more about our services for nerve and spinal cancer.

Brain Tumor and Brain Cancer Care: Why Choose Us?

Trinity Health is home to a team of caring cancer experts, including neurosurgeons specializing in brain tumor procedures. We diagnose and treat brain cancer with a high degree of precision. We safely remove as much tumor tissue as possible while preserving your brain and its functioning.

Highlights of our program include:

  • Coordinated treatments: You benefit from the expertise of brain cancer specialists that include neuroradiologists, neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists and medical oncologists. We work as a team to help you receive the treatments that meet your individual needs.
     
  • Accurate diagnosis: In some cases, we use sophisticated imaging technologies to obtain a tissue sample through tiny openings in the skull. Doctors who specialize in diagnosing brain conditions (our pathology team) evaluate the sample to determine the type of brain tumor.
     
  • Innovative therapies: You have access to the latest options, including surgical monitoring technologies that help us navigate sensitive areas of the brain. We also offer immunotherapy for metastatic brain cancer. Find out more about our cancer research and clinical trials.
     
  • Nurse navigators: Our nurse navigators are with you throughout your cancer care journey. We provide assistance that includes making appointments and answering your questions. Navigators also help you get the most out of your care by connecting you with additional services including speech therapy and emotional support.

Minimally Invasive Brain Cancer and Brain Tumor Surgery

Our experts have a special interest in surgical techniques and technologies that make brain tumor treatments safer and more precise. We remove tumors through small incisions to protect sensitive areas controlling movement, sensation and speech.

Brain tumor surgery techniques and technologies we use include:

  • Endoscopic skull base surgery: We work alongside ear, nose and throat surgeons to access some tumors through the opening of your nose. This approach minimizes disruption to healthy brain tissue — even for difficult-to-reach tumors near the skull base.
     
  • Neuronavigation: For deep-seated tumors, we use real-time navigation technology to reach the tumor while protecting nearby tissue. The technology takes images of your face and brain to guide surgical instruments with a high degree of precision. We may also use robotic surgical technology to safely assist in surgery.
     
  • Awake craniotomy: This technique allows us to protect critical brain functions, including speech and breathing. Our team safely wakes you up during surgery to help guide the tumor removal. We ask you questions that let us know which areas to avoid while we remove any deep-seated tumors. You are not likely to experience pain or discomfort while you are awake. After testing is complete, anesthesiologists put you back to sleep for the remainder of the procedure.

Other Brain Cancer and Brain Tumor Treatments and Services

We deliver care that is right for your needs and preferences. We may use nonsurgical treatments to shrink the tumor. This makes it possible to have a smaller surgery, or to avoid surgery altogether. We take extra steps to help you maintain your quality of life and be as comfortable as possible.

Nonsurgical brain tumor treatments and services include:

  • Chemotherapy: Your care may include cancer-fighting drugs. Our participation in cancer research means you have access to additional options, including new drugs. Get more information about chemotherapy and medical oncology services.
     
  • Radiation therapy: We break up cancer cells using powerful beams of energy. We also use CyberKnife® Radiosurgery technology. This treatment safely delivers precise radiation treatments that pinpoint and destroy tumors while preserving healthy brain tissue. Learn more about radiation therapy.
     
  • Supportive services: We offer a range of therapies and services to relieve the side effects of brain tumor treatment. For stubborn pain, our palliative care experts tailor therapies to help you get relief. Learn more about supportive care and services.