At Central Maine Healthcare we understand that a brain or spinal tumor diagnosis can be alarming. That’s why we offer the services of the cancer care team at Central Maine Comprehensive Cancer Center, an exceptionally skilled neurological oncology group to design your treatment plan and give you the best possible care, including the most effective approaches to combatting these diseases.
Brain and Spinal Tumors
A tumor is a mass of abnormal cells. These can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). With most cancers, benign tumors are much less of a concern than malignant ones. Benign tumors in the brain or spine are riskier to remove, and as they grow they may begin to press on and damage normal brain tissue or spinal nerves.
Prognosis will depend on your age, the type of tumor, and its location, not by how early it is discovered. As with any disease, early detection and treatment is likely to be helpful.
Prevention
Thanks to the blood-brain barrier, our bodies protect our brains from toxins that may affect other areas, so unlike many cancers, lifestyle choices like diet and exercise appear to have little impact on prevention of brain or spinal tumors. If you’ve been exposed to radiation, this may increase your chances of contracting the disease. According to the American Cancer Society, there is no known way to protect against these tumors. The good news is that they are not common.
Detection and Diagnosis
Brain tumors are often discovered when a patient begins to have headaches, seizures or other symptoms of pressure inside the skull (also known as intracranial pressure). It’s important to note however that the majority of headaches and seizures are not caused by a brain tumor.
If you have a spinal cord tumor, symptoms may include numbness, weakness, or lack of coordination in the arms and/or legs (usually on both sides of the body), as well as bladder or bowel problems. Again, these symptoms don’t mean you have spinal cancer but if you have any of these symptoms, see your provider promptly.
The process for detecting brain or spinal cancer starts with your provider getting your medical history and completing a physical exam. If they discover anything abnormal, they may refer you to a neurologist or neurosurgeon who will do a more detailed neurologic exam or other tests, which may include imaging tests like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) scan, positron emission tomography (PET) scan, or x-ray. These tests may show an abnormality but often they can’t tell the type of tumor. To make this determination, the provider may recommend a biopsy, which involves removing a bit of the tumor to further test it.
Treatment
CMH is committed to providing compassionate, high-quality brain and spine care. If you are in the process of being evaluated for or have received a brain or spinal cancer diagnosis, your provider will refer you to the appropriate specialist.
Our health system offers experienced providers who specialize in treating cancer of the brain and spine, including:
- Radiation oncologists, who use high-energy beams or small particles to kill cancer cells
- Medical oncologists, who administer anti-cancer drugs, usually given into a vein or taken by mouth
- Neurosurgeons, who remove cancerous tumors, lesions and tissues
Support
Fighting cancer is a tough job and we’re here to take it on with you. Our oncology nurses and oncology social workers know your treatment plan and help you get the support you need, whether it’s educational, emotionally supportive and wellness programs or a place for your loved ones to rest at the Arbor House, a free residential space on the CMMC campus.
Screenings and Diagnosis
If you’re concerned you may have brain or spinal cancer, you want to know your diagnosis as soon as possible. Central Maine Healthcare understands that knowing the first step, so we strive to provide the most accurate diagnoses as quickly as possible. Our pathologists and radiologists use state-of-the-art assessments to determine the cause of your symptoms and provide the best treatment.
Screening for Brain or Spinal Cancer
Brain or spinal cancer is usually detected by the symptoms it causes, which include headaches, seizures, back pain and numbness in the limbs. While patients with these symptoms usually don’t have brain or spinal cancer, talk to your provider promptly if you are experiencing any of them.
There are no widely recommended tests at this time that can detect brain or spinal cancer before symptoms appear. (“Screening” is the term for these types of tests.) But as with any cancer, early detection puts you at an advantage so be sure to share any and all symptoms you have with your provider.
Diagnosis of Brain and Spinal Cancer
A number of technologies and sciences are used to help your provider determine whether you have a tumor, whether it is benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous) and, if it is malignant, the type of cancer it may be.
A neurological exam may be ordered if you’re experiencing problems with your strength, reflexes, vision, coordination, hearing, or balance. Checking these areas helps your provider understand more about what areas of your brain or spine may be affected.
Pathology is another tool used to understand diseases, including brain and spinal tumors. If your provider suspects you may have one of these tumors, they may order pathology tests to examine the cells, tissues and/or fluids of your body. These samples are captured using the following techniques:
- Blood tests
- Resection, a technique for surgically removing areas suspected to be cancerous
- Biopsies, which involve removing cells and tissue
Any of these tests are available onsite at Central Maine Medical Center (CMMC) although some samples are sent to an outside testing lab. Your provider can answer any questions you have about the process and will let you know when you can expect results.
Radiology uses pain-free X-rays and other high-energy radiation to produce accurate images of internal body structures, allowing radiologists to detect the presence or absence of most tumors. CMMC’s Cynthia A. Rydholm Cancer Treatment Center is staffed with experienced radiologists who use a number of radiology scans to help providers find the cause of your symptoms, and if it’s a tumor, determine its type and best possible treatments. Radiology testing includes:
- X-rays
- Computed Tomography (CT) Scans
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
- Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
Treatment
If you or a loved one has received a brain or spinal tumor diagnosis, we understand it can be upsetting and even frightening news. At Central Maine Healthcare (CMH), we want to provide everything we possibly can to make the treatment process reassuring. The information below is a general overview of the types of treatments your provider may recommend, but we hope you’ll do further research, including asking your care providers any questions you have.
Surgical Oncology
A surgeon who has expertise in removing cancerous tumors, lesions and tissues from the body is known as a surgical oncologist. This is often the first step in the treatment of brain or spinal cancer and in some cases will involve removing as much of the tumor as possible without affecting normal function and then following up with radiation treatments. Used together, these treatments may control or cure many tumors.
Radiation Oncology at the Cancer Care Cancer Center
A provider who specializes in using radiation to treat cancer is called a radiation oncologist. They use high energy rays or small particles to kill cancer cells. When a tumor is on or near your spinal cord or brain, the radiation needs to be aimed very precisely to avoid damaging these important organs.
The radiation team at Central Maine Medical Center’s Cancer Care Center, will determine the best angle and the lowest possible dose of radiation, with the goal of damaging the tumor while minimizing harm to your healthy tissue. Providers at the Cancer Care Center have advanced training and years of experience using radiation to help patients fight brain and spinal cancer.
One or more of the techniques below may be used to focus the radiation in the most therapeutic way possible:
- IMRT (intensity-modulated radiation therapy)
- IGRT (image-guided radiation therapy)
- Rapid arc / VMAT (Volumetric-modulated arc therapy)
- Hexapod table movement
- CT simulation
- SBRT (stereotactic body radiation therapy)
- 3D-conformal radiation therapy
Medical Oncology
A medical oncologist treats cancer using chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and biological therapy to weaken the brain or spinal tumor. These drugs are delivered either intravenously (through a needle in the vein) or via a pill and are used to reduce a tumor’s size before surgery, to kill cancer cells remaining after surgery or radiation, or to treat tumors that have developed in other areas.
Medical oncologists undergo advanced training in the use of these drugs and create a plan to guide treatment. Patients at Central Maine Healthcare have peace of mind thanks to our relationship with the Hematology-Oncology Associates practice, which offers medical oncology specialists and a commitment to compassionate care. The practice features a state-of-the-art infusion center, as well as hydration, antibiotic, therapy and blood product transfusion services.