Treatment of brain tumor | Examining the types of brain tumor treatment methods

Last updated: November 11, 2025 Brain tumor is one of the most complex diseases of the nervous system, whose type and stage play a decisive role in choosing the treatment method. In this article, we will comprehensively review the stages of brain tumor treatment; From surgery and radiation therapy to drug therapy and radiosurgery. It is also explained under what conditions the pill can be used for benign brain tumor and whether it is possible to cure brain tumor definitively or not. The purpose of this article is to provide a scientific and clear picture of the treatment path, post-operative care and new methods of controlling this disease.

Stages of brain tumor treatment

After the definite diagnosis of brain tumor and its type (such as glioma brain tumor or pituitary tumor) and extent of this disease, the surgeon can use brain tumor treatment methods alone. Brain tumor treatment can include brain tumor surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, radiosurgery, targeted therapy, etc. Necessary tests are performed before treatment and after brain tumor treatment, continuous monitoring of the patient's condition by a doctor or with methods such as brain MRI is recommended.

Benign brain tumor treatment

If a brain tumor is small, it is usually not cancerous and does not cause symptoms. This type of tumor is called a benign brain tumor. In this case, you probably don't need treatment right away. Small, benign brain tumors may not grow or grow so slowly that they never cause problems for a person with a brain tumor.

Of course, a person with a brain tumor may have an MRI scan of the brain several times a year to check the growth of the brain tumor. If the brain tumor grows faster than expected or symptoms such as brain bleeding or brain pressure develop in the affected person, you may need brain tumor treatment methods.

Treatment of malignant brain tumor

In the treatment of malignant brain tumor, the time of diagnosis and the stage of the patient's disease are very important. Usually, continuous monitoring and visits and the use of efficient diagnostic methods such as brain MRI can be useful in this field. It is usually tried to prevent the severity and spread of the disease by using useful and practical treatment methods. Also, after the treatment process and during the recovery period, due to the possibility of treatment complications or recurrence, the treated person should be continuously visited by a surgeon.

Can brain tumor be treated with medicine?

Usually, with the help of drugs prescribed by the doctor, some symptoms and pain of the tumor can be reduced, but these drugs cannot cure the disease itself. Hence, there are a number of pain relievers that you can take for your headache. Tylenol (acetaminophen), Advil (ibuprofen), Aloe (naproxen sodium) and Exedrin are usually used for this purpose.

Pills for benign brain tumor

Pharmaceutical treatment or the use of pills for benign brain tumor usually does not directly lead to the destruction of the tumor, because most of these tumors are structural in nature and with physical growth in the brain tissue, they cause pressure on the surrounding areas. However, in some special cases, the neurologist may use drugs to control symptoms caused by the tumor, such as seizures, brain swelling, or increased intracranial pressure. Medicines such as dexamethasone are prescribed to reduce inflammation and swelling, and anticonvulsants such as levotirastam (Keppra) are prescribed to prevent seizures.

In situations where the tumor is hormone-secreting or its growth is affected by specific cellular pathways, brain tumor pills with hormonal or molecular inhibitory effects may also be used; For example, drugs such as cabergoline or octreotide are effective in pituitary tumors. However, the decision to use any drug should be made based on the exact type of tumor, its location, and the results of imaging and specialized tests. In most cases, the main treatment for benign brain tumor is surgery or minimally invasive methods such as radiosurgery, and drugs play a more supportive and controlling role.

Brain tumor surgery

The goal of brain tumor treatment with endoscopic brain surgery and neurosurgery is to remove all tumor cells. It is not always possible to completely remove the tumor. If possible, the surgeon will try to remove as much of the brain tumor as is safely possible. Brain tumor surgery can be used to treat brain cancer and benign brain tumors. Some brain tumors are small and easily separated from the surrounding brain tissue. This causes the tumor to be completely removed.

Other types of brain tumor cannot be separated from the surrounding tissue. Sometimes a brain tumor is adjacent to an important part of the brain. In this case, brain tumor surgery may be dangerous. Hence, the surgeon may remove as much of the tumor as possible. Removing only part of the brain tumor is sometimes called subtotal removal. Removing a part of the brain tumor may help reduce symptoms in the patient.

Brain tumor treatment with radiation therapy (radiotherapy)

One of the brain tumor treatment methods is radiation therapy, which uses powerful energy rays to destroy tumor cells. The amount of energy used can come from X-rays, protons, and other sources. The radiation therapy method is usually performed from a device outside the body, which is called external beam radiation. Rarely, the beam can be placed inside the body. This method is called brachytherapy. Radiation therapy can be used to treat cancer and benign brain tumors.

External beam radiation therapy is usually performed in short daily periods. A typical treatment plan may include radiation therapy five days a week for 2 to 6 weeks. External radiation can be focused on the area of the brain where the tumor is located or it can be irradiated to the entire brain of the patient.

In most people with brain tumor, they target the area around the tumor. If there are many tumors, the whole brain may need radiation therapy. When the entire brain is treated, the procedure is called whole brain radiation. Whole brain exposure to radiation is often used to treat cancer that has spread to the brain from another part of the body and formed multiple tumors in the brain.

Traditionally, radiation therapy uses X-rays, but the newer form of this treatment uses protons to provide energy. Proton beams can be used more precisely to damage only tumor cells. One of the advantages of this treatment method is that they may damage the adjacent healthy tissue less.

Proton therapy may be useful for treating brain tumors in children. Also, this treatment method may help treat tumors that are very close to important parts of the brain. Of course, proton therapy is not as widely available as traditional X-ray radiation therapy.

The side effects of radiation therapy for brain tumors depend on the type and dose of radiation received by the patient. Common side effects that occur during or immediately after treatment include fatigue, headache, memory loss, scalp irritation, and hair loss. Sometimes the side effects of radiation therapy show themselves years later. These late side effects may include problems in the patient's memory and thinking and concentration.

Chemotherapy of brain tumor

In the chemotherapy method that is used to treat brain tumor, it uses strong drugs to destroy the cells involved in the tumor. Chemotherapy drugs can be taken as pills or injected into a vein. Sometimes chemotherapy drugs are placed in the brain tissue during surgery.

One of the best methods of brain tumor treatment is chemotherapy, which can be used to treat brain cancer and benign brain tumors. Sometimes this treatment method is performed simultaneously with radiation therapy or surgery. The side effects of chemotherapy depend on the type and dose of the drugs you receive. Chemotherapy can cause complications such as nausea, vomiting and hair loss.

Brain tumor radiosurgery

Radiosurgery, which is an intense form of radiation therapy, is used to control brain tumors. In this treatment method, therapeutic radiation is aimed at the brain tumor from different angles. Not every ray is very powerful; But the point where the beams meet has received a very high dose of radiation that destroys the tumor cells. Radiosurgery can be used to treat brain cancers and benign brain tumors.

Different types of technology are used in surgical radiation to deliver radiation to treat brain tumors. Some of them include the following:

Linear accelerator radiosurgery

Linear accelerator machines are also called LINAC machines. LINAC machines are known by their brand names such as CyberKnife, TrueBeam, etc. In this method, a LINAC machine targets therapeutic targets from several different angles with the help of precisely shaped energy beams. Rays are made of X-rays.

Gamma Knife Radiosurgery

A Gamma Knife device targets many small beams of radiation simultaneously. The rays are made of gamma rays.

Proton radiosurgery

In proton radiosurgery, beams made of protons are used. This method is the newest type of radiosurgery and is gradually becoming common, although this method is not available in all hospitals.

Radiosurgery is usually performed in one or several treatment sessions. The patient can go home after the treatment and does not need to stay in the hospital. The side effects of radiosurgery treatment method include extreme fatigue and skin changes on the scalp. The scalp may be dry, itchy and sensitive. Also, the treated person may have blisters on the skin or hair loss (sometimes the hair loss is permanent).

Targeted treatment

In the targeted treatment of brain tumors, drugs are used that attack specific chemicals in the tumor cells. By blocking these chemicals, targeted therapies can induce death in brain tumor cells. Targeted therapy is used to control certain types of brain cancer and benign brain tumors. Before performing this treatment, the brain tumor cells of the person receiving the treatment may be tested to determine whether the targeted treatment of the brain tumor is useful or not.

Side effects of brain tumor treatment

Treatment methods for all types of brain tumors include different strategies such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and radiosurgery. Each of these treatments has its own set of complications and risks, which can vary depending on factors such as the location, size, and type of tumor, as well as the overall health of the patient. For this reason, attention to postoperative care of brain tumor and regular follow-up after treatment is very important to prevent possible complications. In the following, we will examine the potential complications associated with each treatment approach.

Complications of brain tumor surgery

Surgical intervention is often the first line of treatment for a brain tumor, especially when the tumor is present and causing significant symptoms. However, brain tumor surgery is very complicated and can lead to several complications:

• Nervous defects; Depending on the location of the tumor, surgery can result in temporary or permanent neurological deficits. These may include weakness, sensory changes, problems with speech, vision problems or even paralysis. For example, removing a tumor near the motor cortex may lead to weakness or loss of movement on one side of the body.
Infection; As with any surgery, there is a risk of infection. In brain tumor surgery, infection can be dangerous and lead to meningitis or brain abscess; Both of which are serious and require immediate treatment. Bleeding; Intraoperative bleeding is a significant concern. Bleeding can occur during or after the procedure, potentially leading to a hematoma (collection of blood) in the brain that may require further surgery to remove. Seizures; Brain tumor surgery can disrupt normal brain activity and sometimes lead to seizures. While these can often be managed with medication, they can be distressing for the patient and may indicate more serious neurological problems.
• leakage of cerebrospinal fluid; During surgery, if the protective layers around the brain (meninges) are damaged, it can lead to cerebrospinal fluid leakage. This can cause headaches, nausea and increase the risk of infection.
Swelling (edema); Swelling in the brain is common after surgery and can increase intracranial pressure and lead to headaches, dizziness, difficulty speaking, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, and in severe cases, herniation, which is life-threatening.

Also, its long-term complications include:

• Trouble concentrating or remembering things
• Problems in speech
• Weakness in arm or leg
• Epilepsy
• Feeling tired
• behavior change

Consequences of brain tumor radiotherapy

Radiotherapy is often used in conjunction with brain tumor surgery, either before surgery to shrink the tumor or afterwards to kill any remaining cancer cells. While brain tumor treatment through radiotherapy is effective, it can lead to several complications, including:

• Radiation necrosis; This is a condition in which the normal brain tissue around the tumor is damaged and dies due to radiation. This can happen months or even years after treatment and may have symptoms similar to those of a brain tumor, such as headaches, seizures, and neurological deficits.
• Cognitive decline; Radiotherapy can lead to gradual cognitive decline, especially if large areas of the brain are exposed to radiation. Patients may experience memory loss, difficulty concentrating, or personality changes.
• hair loss; Hair loss is common in the area being irradiated. While this complication is temporary, in some cases, hair loss can be permanent.
Hearing loss; If the tumor or the irradiated area is close to the ear, patients may suffer from hearing loss due to damage to the auditory nerves. Endocrine disorders; Radiation therapy, especially when applied to the area near the hypothalamus or pituitary gland, can cause hormonal imbalances that can lead to a range of issues such as growth abnormalities, thyroid problems, or adrenal insufficiency.

Chemical side effects of brain tumor

Chemotherapy, either alone or in combination with other treatments, is one of the most common methods of brain tumor treatment. However, it comes with several complications, including:

• Systemic side effects; Chemotherapy drugs target rapidly dividing cells, which means they can affect not only cancer cells but also healthy cells in the body. This can lead to side effects such as nausea, vomiting, fatigue and immune system weakness.
Neurotoxicity; Some chemotherapy agents can be toxic to the nervous system and lead to peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage), which causes tingling, numbness, or pain in the hands and feet. In severe cases, it can affect mobility and quality of life.
• bone marrow suppression; Chemotherapy can suppress the bone marrow's ability to produce blood cells, leading to anemia, an increased risk of infection (due to a lack of white blood cells), and easy bruising or bleeding (due to low platelets).
Digestive problems; Chemotherapy can cause mucositis (inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract), which leads to mouth ulcers, difficulty swallowing, and diarrhea. Secondary cancers; Although rare, long-term chemotherapy can increase the risk of developing secondary cancers in the future due to the mutagenic effects of the drugs.

Complications of brain tumor radiosurgery

Radiosurgery, such as Gamma Knife or CyberKnife, is a non-invasive brain tumor treatment technique that delivers highly focused radiation to the tumor. Despite its accuracy, complications may still occur, including:

• Radiation necrosis; Similar to conventional radiotherapy, radiosurgery can lead to radiation necrosis, which can mimic tumor recurrence on imaging studies and cause neurological symptoms.
Swelling and inflammation; The target area may swell in response to treatment, which can increase intracranial pressure and cause symptoms such as headache, nausea, and vomiting.
• Neurological defects: Although less common than open surgery, there is still a risk of neurological defects if radiosurgery affects critical areas of the brain.
Delayed effects; Some side effects, such as cognitive decline or hormonal imbalance, may not become apparent until months or years after treatment.

Consequently, while brain tumor treatments are critical to the management of this disease, they also carry significant risks. Patients undergoing these treatments should be closely monitored for complications to ensure timely intervention and management.

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Dr. Yazdan Panahi

Student of Shahid Beheshti University of Tehran. The top rank of the specialized board of neurosurgery. 7-year history of performing complex operations on the base of the skull and brain and spinal cord tumors, 7-year history of complex operations on the spine

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