Treatment Options by Type of Adult Brain Tumor

Astrocytic Tumors
        Brain Stem Gliomas
        Pineal Astrocytic Tumors
        Pilocytic Astrocytomas
        Diffuse Astrocytomas
        Anaplastic Astrocytomas
        Glioblastoma
Oligodendroglial Tumors
Mixed Gliomas
Ependymal Tumors
Embryonal Cell Tumors: Medulloblastoma
Pineal Parenchymal Tumors
Meningeal Tumors
Germ Cell Tumors
Tumors of the Sellar Region: Craniopharyngioma
Recurrent Brain Tumors
Metastatic Brain Tumors

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.

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.

Treatment of pineal astrocytic tumors 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.

Treatment of pilocytic astrocytoma 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.

Treatment of diffuse astrocytoma 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.

Treatment of anaplastic astrocytoma 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.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with adult anaplastic 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.

Treatment of glioblastoma may include the following:

• Surgery and radiation therapy, with or without chemotherapy.
• Chemotherapy placed into the brain during surgery.
• Radiation therapy given at the same time as 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 a new treatment.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with adult glioblastoma. 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.

Treatment of oligodendrogliomas may include the following:

• Surgery with or without radiation therapy.
• Chemotherapy.
• A clinical trial of biologic therapy or another new treatment.
• A clinical trial of radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy, for tumors that could not be completely removed by surgery.
• A clinical trial of chemotherapy.

Treatment of anaplastic oligodendroglioma may include the following:

• Surgery and radiation therapy, with or without chemotherapy.
• Combination chemotherapy.
• Radiation therapy with or without combination chemotherapy.
• A clinical trial of a new treatment.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with adult oligodendroglial tumors. 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.

Treatment of mixed gliomas may include the following:

• Surgery and radiation therapy, with or without chemotherapy.
• Chemotherapy.
• A clinical trial of external radiation therapy and one of the following:
  • Internal radiation therapy.
  • Radiosensitizers.
  • Hyperthermia therapy.
  • Intraoperative radiation 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 mixed 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.

Treatment of grade I and grade II ependymomas is usually surgery with or without radiation therapy.

Treatment of grade III anaplastic ependymoma may include the following:

• Surgery and radiation therapy.
• A clinical trial of chemotherapy before, during, or after radiation therapy.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with adult ependymal tumors. 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.

Treatment of medulloblastomas may include the following:

• Surgery and radiation therapy to the brain and spine.
• Chemotherapy.
• A clinical trial of surgery and radiation therapy to the brain and spine.
• A clinical trial of chemotherapy.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with adult medulloblastoma. 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.

Treatment of pineal parenchymal tumors may include the following:

• Surgery and radiation therapy, for pineocytomas.
• Surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, for pineoblastomas.
• A clinical trial of external radiation therapy and one of the following:
  • Radiosensitizers.
  • Hyperthermia therapy.
  • Intraoperative radiation 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 parenchymal tumor. 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.

Treatment of grade I meningiomas may include the following:

• Surgery with or without radiation therapy.
• Radiation therapy for tumors that cannot be removed by surgery.

Treatment of grade II and III meningioma and hemangiopericytoma may include the following:

• Surgery and radiation therapy.
• A clinical trial of external radiation therapy and one of the following:
  • Internal radiation therapy.
  • Radiosensitizers.
  • Hyperthermia therapy.
  • Intraoperative radiation 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 meningeal tumor. 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.

Treatment of a germinoma is usually radiation therapy. For treatment of a teratoma that has not spread, surgery is used. There is no standard treatment for other types of germ cell tumors. Treatment depends on what the tumor cells look like under a microscope, the tumor markers, where the tumor is in the brain, and whether it can be removed by surgery.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with adult central nervous system germ cell tumor. 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.

Treatment of craniopharyngiomas may include the following:

• Surgery to remove the whole tumor.
• Surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible, followed by radiation therapy.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with adult craniopharyngioma. 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.

Treatment of recurrent brain tumors may include the following:

• Surgery with or without chemotherapy.
• Radiation therapy, if not used before, with or without chemotherapy.
• A second surgery followed by radiation therapy, if not used before, or chemotherapy.
• Internal radiation therapy.
• Chemotherapy.
• A clinical trial of a new anticancer drug with or without biologic therapy.
• A clinical trial of chemotherapy placed into the brain during surgery.
• A clinical trial of biologic therapy.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with recurrent adult brain tumor. 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.

Treatment of a single tumor that has spread to the brain from another part of the body is usually surgery followed by radiation therapy to the whole brain.

Treatment of more than one tumor that has spread to the brain from another part of the body may include the following:

• Radiation therapy to the whole brain with or without stereotactic radiosurgery.
• Surgery, for tumors that are causing symptoms.
• Surgery to remove a tissue sample when the type of primary tumor is not known.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with tumors metastatic to brain. 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.