Each year, approximately 22,000 people receive a diagnosis of brain cancer and 13,000 people die from complications relating to the disease, reports the National Cancer Institute. To extend a brain cancer patient's life as long as possible, doctors rely upon a number of treatments.

Function

The goal of treatment for brain cancer is to remove cancerous cells when possible or to destroy them by using radiation or prescription medications. Treatment also focuses on limiting the spread of the disease to other parts of the body.

Removal

Surgery to remove a tumor involves removing a portion of the skull and then using lasers or a traditional scalpel on the affected portion of brain tissue. In some cases, doctors can completely remove the tumor, while in others the location of the tumor may allow for removing only some of it, explains the American Brain Tumor Association.

Other Types of Treatment

Doctors often prescribe radiation to destroy brain cancer cells through concentrated beams of energy administered either outside the body or through small radioactive pellets implanted in the skull, according to the American Society for Radiation Oncology. Chemotherapy for brain cancer uses intravenous or oral medications such as cisplatin to destroy cancer cells, while targeted drug therapy uses specialized drugs like bevacizumab that cut off the blood supply to cancerous cells.

Rehabilitation

In addition to treatment for the tumor, patients with brain cancer typically require rehabilitation to regain any loss of speech, motor skills or other mental processes. Rehabilitation may occur on an inpatient or outpatient basis.

Side Effects and Risks

Surgery to remove tumors may result in damage to the surrounding areas of the brain, which could lead to permanent disabilities like blindness, explains the Mayo Clinic. Radiation frequently causes fatigue, headaches and irritation of the scalp, while chemotherapy is likely to cause hair loss, nausea and vomiting.

Prognosis

Treatment tends to be more successful in children than in adults, with 66 percent of brain cancer patients under the age of 18 surviving for five years after diagnosis, reports The New York Times. For adults 75 and over, the five-year survival rate is 5 percent.

Source:

Mayo Clinic: Brain Tumor-Treatments

American Brain Tumor Association: Treating Brain Tumors

American Society for Radiation Oncology: Radiation Theerapy for Brain Cancer

More Information:

National Cancer Institute: Brain Tumor Home Page

New York Times: Brain Tumors