A brain tumor can be detected with the help of instrumental examinations. The most commonly used is MRI. But to choose the optimal treatment tactics, it is essential to know what kind of tumor the doctor is dealing with. It can be primary or secondary (cancer metastasis of another localization). Primary neoplasms of the central nervous system can be of different histological types: meningiomas and gliomas are more common than others. Tumors also come in different grades.
Content
- Diagnostics
- Treatment
The cost of treating a brain tumor of unknown etiology depends on where you undergo treatment, who carries out your treatment and what methods are used. We will help you select a clinic with the best price ratio and quality of medical services.
It is better to undergo treatment in a clinic whose doctors specialize in brain tumor therapy and achieve significant progress: the University Hospital Muenster, the Charite University Hospital Berlin, the University Hospital Freiburg.
Leave your request for brain tumor treatment on the Booking Health website. We will select one or several specialized hospitals, organize travel to Germany for you and the accompanying person, take care of accommodation, interpreting services, and insurance. A personal medical coordinator will always be in touch with you for any questions.
Diagnostics
With a brain tumor of unknown etiology, the following diagnostic methods are used:
- contrast-enhanced MRI;
- CT perfusion or MRI perfusion;
- PET scan.
Doctors usually try to establish the histological type of the tumor using non-invasive methods. This is because a brain biopsy is a traumatic and unsafe procedure. As a rule, a histological examination of the tumor is carried out after its removal. The patients with malignant neoplasms also undergo molecular genetic tests of mutations in the IDH1 and IDH2 genes, tests to determine MGMT gene methylation, 1p/19q translocation and other genetic rearrangements depending on the type of neoplasm.
A brain biopsy to clarify the diagnosis is performed if surgical treatment is not planned. This is possible in the following cases:
- the tumor is inoperable;
- the patient has contraindications to a neurosurgical intervention;
- the patient refuses the operation;
- the doctor suspects brain lymphoma (it is treated with conservative methods).
Treatment
With neoplasms of the central nervous system, neurosurgical operations are performed to remove them. This is the best treatment method, which, in most cases, provides the complete recovery of the patient.
Doctors in Germany use cutting-edge neuronavigation systems to ensure the safe removal of the tumor. The specialists do not damage functionally significant brain areas to avoid the development of neurological deficits.
If the diagnostics reveal a malignant tumor, then surgeons in Germany use metabolic navigation for its removal. Neurosurgeons inject a drug into the patient's body that penetrates the pathologically altered cells and causes them to fluoresce. With the help of a surgical microscope, a neurosurgeon can see a glow, which allows him to distinguish the tumor from a healthy tissue even in the absence of a clear border of the neoplasm. Metabolic navigation doubles the chance of complete tumor resection.
Radiation therapy is the second most important treatment for brain tumors. Doctors resort to it in the following cases:
- the impossibility of surgical tumor removal;
- after the malignant tumor removal to reduce the risk of recurrence;
- to suppress brain metastases of cancer of another localization.
Doctors use stereotactic radiation therapy and radiosurgery. These techniques provide accurate radiation targeting to the tumor with minimal damage to the adjacent tissues.
Once the treatment in Germany is completed, the patient can undergo rehabilitation: phases A and B take place in the hospital where the tumor was removed. For rehabilitation phase C, patients visit a specialized rehabilitation center. They can restore most brain functions within a few months, avoiding disability and improving the quality of life.
Undergoing diagnostics and treatment of a brain tumor of unknown etiology in Germany will be easier with Booking Health. On the website, you will find reliable information about hospitals and healthcare professionals, treatment methods, etc. You can also compare the cost of medical services in different neurosurgical departments of German clinics and book the necessary program at favorable prices. Moreover, Booking Health will arrange your trip from receiving a visa before traveling to translating medical reports for doctors in your native country.
Authors:
The article was edited by medical experts, board-certified doctors Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova and Dr. Sergey Pashchenko. For the treatment of the conditions referred to in the article, you must consult a doctor; the information in the article is not intended for self-medication!
Sources:
National Library of Medicine
Google Scholar
