More than 17,000 people in the United States are diagnosed each year with a brain tumor. Some tumors are benign (noncancerous), and they can usually be removed and are not likely to recur. Others are malignant (cancerous). They interfere with vital functions and are life-threatening. Cancerous brain tumors usually grow rapidly, crowding and invading tissue.

Primary brain tumors are cancers that arise in the brain and affect the central nervous system (CNS). Secondary brain tumors, which are 10 times more common, are cancers that originated elsewhere in the body and have metastasized (spread) to the brain.

A brain tumor can be accompanied by the following signs and symptoms.

• Headaches that often are worse in the morning
• Seizures (convulsions)
• Nausea or vomiting
• Weakness or loss of feeling in the arms or legs
• Stumbling or lack of coordination when walking
• Abnormal eye movements or changes in vision
• Drowsiness
• Changes in personality or memory
• Changes in speech

People with the following conditions or characteristics may be at risk for developing a brain tumor.

• Radiation exposure
• Increased age
• Exposure to pesticides, herbicides, fertilizer
• Certain occupations, such as lead, petroleum, plastic, rubber, and textile workers, as well as aircraft and vehicle operators
• Exposure to electromagnetic fields
• Certain viruses, especially Epstein-Barr virus
• People who have had transplants and individuals with AIDS

If you symptoms of a brain tumor, you should see your health care provider immediately. Your provider will ask about your personal and family medical history and perform a complete physical and neurologic exam. This includes checks for alertness, muscle strength, coordination, reflexes, and response to pain, and an eye exam to look for swelling caused by a tumor pressing on the nerve that connects the eye and the brain. The provider may send you for a computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Additional tests may include skull x-ray, brain scan, angiogram or arteriogram, and a myelogram (x-ray of the spine, using dye). If cancer is present, others who may become involved in your care include a neurosurgeon, medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, nurse, dietitian, social worker, physical therapist, occupational therapist, and speech therapist.

Treatment Plan

Treatment for a brain tumor depends on the type, location, and size of the tumor, as well as the person's age and general health. Treatment generally involves surgery, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy.

Drug Therapies

Your provider may prescribe the following therapies.

• Steroids, to relieve swelling
• Anticonvulsants, to prevent or control seizures
• Radiation therapy, to destroy tumor tissue that cannot be removed with surgery or to kill cancer cells that may remain after surgery, or when surgery is not possible
• Chemotherapy, to kill cancer cells

Surgical and Other Procedures

Surgery is the most common treatment. To remove a brain tumor, a neurosurgeon performs a craniotomy, which involves making an opening in the skull. If the tumor cannot be at least partially removed, the surgeon may do only a biopsy, in which a small piece of the tumor is removed so that a pathologist can examine it under a microscope to determine the type of cancer cells. This necessary information helps determine other forms of treatment.

Another procedure sometimes used is insertion of a shunt to drain cerebrospinal fluid. A shunt is a long, thin tube placed in the brain and then threaded under the skin to another part of the body, usually the abdomen. It works like a drainpipe, allowing excess fluid to be carried away from the brain and absorbed in the abdomen.

Complementary and Alternative Therapies

A comprehensive treatment plan for brain cancer may include a range of complementary and alternative therapies. Nutrients and herbs may protect against side effects from conventional therapies as well as enhance chemotherapy and support anticancer activities. Mind-body therapies such as meditation, relaxation techniques, yoga, and qi gong may reduce the effects of stress and enhance your quality of life and your response to treatment. Ask your team of health care providers about the best ways to incorporate these therapies into your overall treatment plan, and make sure you always tell your health care provider which herbs and supplements you are taking.

Nutrition and Supplements

Following these nutritional tips may help reduce symptoms:

• Try to eliminate suspected food allergens, such as dairy (milk, cheese, and ice cream), wheat (gluten), soy, corn, preservatives and chemical food additives. Your health care provider may want to test you for food allergies.
• Eat foods high in B-vitamins, calcium, and iron, such as almonds, beans, whole grains (if no allergy), dark leafy greens (such as spinach and kale), and sea vegetables.
• Eat cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower).
• Eat antioxidant foods, including fruits (such as blueberries, cherries, and tomatoes) and vegetables (such as squash and bell pepper).
• Avoid refined foods such as white breads, pastas, and sugar.
• Eat fewer red meats and more lean meats, cold-water fish, tofu (soy, if no allergy) or beans for protein. Quality protein sources, such as organic meat and eggs, whey, and vegetable protein shakes, should be used as part of balanced program aimed at gaining muscle mass and preventing wasting that can sometimes be a side effects of cancer therapies.
• Use healthy cooking oils, such as olive oil or vegetable oil.
• Reduce or eliminate trans-fatty acids, found in such commercially baked goods as cookies, crackers, cakes, French fries, onion rings, donuts, processed foods, and margarine.
• Avoid caffeine and other stimulants, alcohol, and tobacco.
• Exercise, if possible, 5 days a week.

You may address nutritional deficiencies with the following supplements:

• A multivitamin daily, containing the antioxidant vitamins A, C, E, the B-complex vitamins, and trace minerals such as magnesium, calcium, zinc and selenium.
• Probiotic supplement (containing Lactobacillus acidophilus), 5 - 10 billion CFUs (colony forming units) a day, for maintenance of gastrointestinal and immune health. You should refrigerate your probiotic supplements for best results.
• Omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish oil, 1 - 2 capsules or 1 tbsp. of oil one to two times daily, to help decrease inflammation and help with immunity. Cold-water fish, such as salmon or halibut, are good sources.
• Vitamin C, 500 - 1,000 mg daily, as an antioxidant and for immune support.
• Lycopene, 5 mg one to three times daily, for antioxidant and anticancer activity.
• Alpha-lipoic acid, 25 - 50 mg twice daily, for antioxidant support.
• Resveratrol (from red wine), 50 - 200 mg daily, to help decrease inflammation and for antioxidant effects.
• Coenzyme Q10, 100 - 200 mg at bedtime, for antioxidant and immune activity.
• L-theanine, 200 mg one to three times daily, for nervous system and immune support.
• Melatonin, 2 - 6 mg at bedtime, for immune support and sleep. Higher doses may be needed in cancer. Consult your health care provider.

Herbs

Herbs are generally a safe way to strengthen and tone the body's systems. As with any therapy, you should work with your health care provider to get your problem diagnosed before starting any treatment. You may use herbs as dried extracts (capsules, powders, teas), glycerites (glycerine extracts), or tinctures (alcohol extracts). Unless otherwise indicated, you should make teas with 1 tsp. herb per cup of hot water. Steep covered 5 - 10 minutes for leaf or flowers, and 10 - 20 minutes for roots. Drink 2 - 4 cups per day. You may use tinctures alone or in combination as noted.

• Green tea (Camellia sinensis) standardized extract, 250 - 500 mg daily, for antioxidant, anticancer and immune effects. Use caffeine-free products. You may also prepare teas from the leaf of this herb.
• Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) standardized extract, 150 - 300 mg two to three times daily, for anticancer and immune effects. You may also take a tincture of this mushroom extract, 30 - 60 drops two to three times a day.
• Cat's claw (Uncaria tomentosa) standardized extract, 20 mg three times a day, for anticancer, immune, and antibacterial or antifungal activity.
• Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) seed standardized extract, 80 - 160 mg two to three times daily, for detoxification support.
• Fermented wheat germ extract, 1 packet dissolved in favorite beverage once daily, for anticancer and immune effects.

Combine essential oils of bergamot (Citrus bergamia), chamomile (Matricaria recutita), and lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) in aromatherapy applications. Place several drops in a warm bath, or four to six drops in 1 tbsp. of vegetable oil for massage.

Homeopathy

An experienced homeopath can prescribe a regimen for supporting general health during brain cancer that is designed especially for you. Acute remedies may help relieve symptoms associated with complications.

Homeopathy may help reduce symptoms and strengthen overall constitution, reduce the effects of stress during cancer, and may decrease the side effects of chemotherapy.

• Radium bromatum is specific for radiation poisoning, especially followed by arthritic complaints. Acute dose is three to five pellets of 12X to 30C every 1 - 4 hours until symptoms are relieved.

Acupuncture

While acupuncture is not used as a treatment for cancer itself, evidence suggests it can be a valuable therapy for cancer-related symptoms (particularly nausea and vomiting that often accompanies chemotherapy treatment). There have also been studies indicating that acupuncture may help reduce pain and shortness of breath. Acupressure (pressing on rather than needling acupuncture points) has also proved useful in controlling breathlessness. Patients can learn this technique to treat themselves.

Some acupuncturists prefer to work with a patient only after the completion of conventional medical cancer therapy. Others will provide acupuncture or herbal therapy during active chemotherapy or radiation. Acupuncturists treat cancer patients based on an individualized assessment of the excesses and deficiencies of qi located in various meridians. In many cases of cancer-related symptoms, a qi deficiency is usually detected in the spleen or kidney meridians.

The outlook varies greatly depending on the type of tumor and other factors. Some types of brain cancer have a 5-year survival rate above 80 percent. Brain cancer has significant emotional and psychological effects. Patients who receive radiation therapy to large areas of the brain or certain anticancer drugs may have a higher risk of developing leukemia or a second tumor at a later time. Radiation that affects the eyes may lead to the later development of cataracts.

Regular follow-up is very important after treatment, to make sure the tumor has not returned. Checkups usually include physical and neurologic exams and occasional CT scans or MRIs.

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