May is National Brain Tumor Awareness Month, a time to educate others, fundraise, and offer support to brain tumor patients.
Austin CyberKnife is participating in this effort by encouraging patients with newly diagnosed brain tumors to seek information and second opinions about treatment options and their care plan.
It’s important for you to have honest, open discussions with your cancer care team. Below are a few common sample questions from the American Cancer Society to get the conversation started:
– What kind of tumor do I have?
– Is the tumor benign or malignant? What does this mean?
– Where in the brain or spinal cord is the tumor? Has it grown into nearby areas?
– How much experience do you have treating this type of tumor?
– What are my treatment choices? What do you recommend? Why?
– What’s the goal of treatment (cure, prolonging life, relieving symptoms, etc.)?
– How long will treatment take? What will it be like? Where will it be given?
– What would we do if the tumor comes back?
Austin CyberKnife treats cancerous and benign tumors in the brain with a specialized type of radiation therapy called stereotactic radiosurgery. During the procedure, precisely targeted radiation beams are delivered directly to a patient’s tumor with sub-millimeter accuracy, minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Learn more about the CyberKnife® brain tumor treatment process on our conditions treated page or for a brain tumor consultation at our center, please contact us today.