Note - this is the old version of the guide.. click HERE for the current version!
Treatments of Brain Tumors
The types of standard treatments for brain tumors are the same as for most cancers: surgery,
radiation, chemotherapy, and now immunotherapies. For definitions of treatment terms, go to the Virtual Trials brain tumor dictionary.
For official government information on treatments, go to cancernet. For information on specific
treatments as well as general information on chemotherapy, radiosurgery, immunotherapy, and surgery, go to the Virtual
Trials noteworthy treatments page.
Treatments can be classified in several ways. FDA approved treatments for brain tumors are
treatments that have been proven to be safe and effective in the treatment of brain tumors. Note that
safe does not mean no side effects, but it means that on the whole the benefits to brain tumor
patients outways the risks. Some FDA approved treatments for brain tumors include BCNU, Temodar, Gliadel wafers , and radiation. Click here for a list of the drugs being used for brain tumors.
Once a drug has been approved by the FDA any doctor can prescribe it for any condition. Prescribing a
drug for a different purpose than it has been approved for is called an off-label use. Describing
a drug as off-label is not a value judgment or an assessment of how valuable a drug is. Some off-label
drugs sometimes used to treat gliomas include carboplatin, vincristine, procarbazine, etoposide, and thalidomide.
Drugs that have not been approved by the FDA can be obtained in two ways. The first way is through clinical
trials. If you are not eligable for a trial, the second way is with a compassionate need exemption. Your doctor can help you with the process
in either case.
Last Updated: 7/10/2003
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