Treatment and Prevention
People with gliomas often combine different types of treatment for the best chance of recovery. Possible treatments include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery.
Medications are useful in the treatment of glioma. Antiepileptic medications help reduce the risk of seizures. Chemotherapy, which uses a combination of powerful medications, helps damage or kill cancer cells. Unfortunately, chemotherapy medications also affect healthy cells in the body which may lead to side effects such as hair loss and vomiting. Corticosteroid medications may be recommended to reduce the swelling around a brain tumor.
Surgery is recommended in most cases to remove the tumor. The surgeon may decide to remove part of or the entire tumor depending on its location. If the tumor is on or close to the brain stem, surgery becomes more challenging. Surgery may also be done to relieve the pressure inside the brain.
Radiation therapy uses X-rays to destroy cancer cells in the tumor. Radiation therapy may damage healthy tissue around the tumor but doctors try to limit this damage as much as possible. Radiation can be done initially on its own, or if disease comes back after surgery.
Some people also choose to enroll in a clinical trial for experimental medications or use complementary and alternative therapies (e.g., herbal preparations, reflexology, acupuncture, and Chinese medicine). Ask your doctor about what clinical trials are being offered that may suit your cancer treatment needs and what complementary therapies are available. Generally, people choose to use complementary or alternative therapies along with the treatment recommended by their doctor.
To reduce your risk of developing different forms of cancer, make healthy choices every day. Some of these choices include:
- stopping smoking
- eating a healthy diet
- exercising regularly
- maintaining a healthy weight
- limiting alcoholic drinks
- reducing exposure to the sun's damaging rays and tanning beds
- minimizing exposure to chemicals and, if needed, handling chemicals safely and as instructed
Todd Gersten, MD, Hematology/Oncology, Palm Beach Cancer Institute, West Palm Beach, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.