Mary Bird Perkins offers the most advanced radiation therapy available in the world with the medical and technical experts to use it successfully.
Central nervous system cancers include brain tumors, neuroblastomas, pituitary tumors and primary CNS lymphomas. Recovery and treatment options depend upon the type, grade and location of the tumor, whether cancer cells spread to other parts of the body, and/or the patient’s age and general health.
Brain Tumor: Brain tumors are diseases where cancerous cells begin to grow in the tissues of the brain. Symptoms of a brain tumor include frequent headaches, vomiting, loss of appetite, changes in mood and personality, changes in the ability to think and learn and/or seizures. CAT scans and MRIs are used to examine the brain and spinal cord.
Neuroblastoma: Neuroblastoma is a disease where cancer cells form in nerve tissue of the adrenal gland, neck, chest or spinal cord. Typically, by the time the neuroblastoma is diagnosed, the cancer has spread, most often to the lymph nodes, bones, bone marrow, liver and skin. Possible signs of neuroblastoma include bone pain and a lump in the abdomen, neck or chest. There are various tests and procedures used to examine many different body tissues and fluids in order to detect and diagnose neuroblastoma.
Pituitary Tumor: Pituitary tumors are found in the pituitary gland, a pea-sized organ in the center of the brain just above the back of the nose. Symptoms include headaches, trouble seeing or moving the eyes and/or vomiting. Treatments for patients with pituitary tumors include surgery to remove the tumor, radiation therapy to kill the tumor cells and/or drug therapy.
Primary CNS Lymphoma: Primary CNS lymphoma is a disease in which cancer cells form in the lymph tissue of the brain and/or spinal cord. This disease can begin in the brain, spinal cord or in the layers that form the outer covering of the brain (meninges). It can also start in the eye (ocular lymphoma). Having a weakened immune system may increase the risk of developing primary CNS lymphoma. Tests that examine the eyes, brain and spinal cord are used to find and diagnose primary CNS lymphoma.
Related Links for brain/CNS tumors:
American Cancer Society
National Cancer Institute
Related Links for Neuroblastoma:
American Cancer Society
National Cancer Institute
Related Links for Pituitary Tumors:
American Cancer Society
National Cancer Institute
Related Links for Primary CNS Lymphoma:
American Cancer Society