Brain Tumor Center

Specialists from various disciplines work together under the umbrella of the Brain Tumor Center to provide patients and referring physicians with uncomplicated access to highly qualified diagnostics and treatment of brain tumors.

The first step is a rapid and comprehensive diagnosis, followed by a presentation of the findings in our interdisciplinary tumor board. Here, the available treatment modalities are discussed and a therapy concept adapted to the patient's expectations is developed.

The focus is on providing the patient with comprehensive information and care; in addition to medical treatment, this also includes a wide range of additional therapy options such as psychological support as well as physiotherapy, ergo-therapy and logotherapy measures as the disease progresses.

Diagnoses

In principle, we differentiate between tumors that arise from the brain tissue itself (brain tumors) and tumors of brain appendages, such as the meninges, as well as metastases of other tumors in the brain. This distinction is important as it results in fundamental differences in treatment options and individual prognoses.

High-grade glioma

This type of brain tumour is characterized by rapid and destructive growth in the brain. Those affected are usually in middle to old age. Symptoms are often the acute loss of brain functions, e.g. speech or motor skills.

Low-grade glioma

This brain tumour is characterized by slow growth, usually over a period of years. This can result in a shift of brain functions to other areas of the brain ("plasticity" of the brain). Patients are often affected in younger to middle adulthood, and the first symptom is often epileptic seizures.

Meningioma

These tumors originate from the hard meninges, are usually slow-growing and do not infiltrate the brain. As a result, they can often be completely removed surgically. They usually affect middle-aged to elderly patients and are occasionally an incidental finding as part of the investigation of other diseases. The spectrum of symptoms is varied and includes neurological deficits, epileptic seizures and personality changes.

Metastases

Tumors from other organs can also colonize metastases in the brain. Brain metastases can occur individually, i.e. singularly, or at several locations in the brain, i.e. multiple. This subdivision is important for deciding which treatment modalities are promising and can be considered.

Tumors of the pituitary gland (hypophysis)

These tumors often become noticeable in the longer term with a deterioration in vision and/or hormonal disorders, for example by causing changes in body proportions or milk flow in women who are not breastfeeding. Acute problems can occur, for example, due to bleeding within the tumor, which can cause rapid loss of vision.

Tumors of the base of the skull or the cerebellopontine angle

These are often so-called vestibular schwannomas, i.e. benign tumors that originate from the vestibular nerves and grow into the base of the skull. Symptoms often include unilateral hearing loss or even hearing loss, ringing in the ears (tinnitus) due to the anatomical proximity to the auditory nerve, and/or balance disorders and dizziness.

Treatment

The most common form of treatment is surgery. Radiation and chemotherapy are also available. In special cases, there are also other treatment options such as nuclear medicine methods, alternating electric fields, etc. Thanks to our research activities in brain tumor research, many patients also have the opportunity to take part in a treatment study.

Operation

The aim of surgical tumor treatment is ideally the complete removal of a tumor. In cases where this is not possible, for example due to invasive growth of the tumor, the aim is to reduce the tumor mass as much as possible. Various electrophysiological procedures are used to protect important brain functions during the operation, and for certain tumors it makes sense to remove the tumor while the patient is awake.

Irradiation

In certain cases, radiation is the most promising form of treatment to treat a tumor. In many cases, radiation is used after surgery to treat residual tumor tissue. Radiation can also be used to treat regrowing tumors in regions that are difficult to access surgically.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is often used in combination with radiation to treat brain tumors after surgery, especially in the case of brain tumors. As a rule, well-tolerated substances are used so that chemotherapy can be administered at home in the form of tablets. There are various other chemotherapeutic concepts for regrowing tumors that can be used without prior or concomitant radiotherapy or surgery.

Care

The diagnosis of a brain tumor brings with it great uncertainty for the patients concerned, but also for their relatives. We attach great importance to the continuous involvement of relatives and promoting the individual quality of life of each patient.

We focus on the following points:

Close cooperation with speech therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy, psycho-oncology
Regular therapy meetings with the involvement of all specialists
The nursing team is specially trained in the areas of pain, aphasia, communication and palliation

Management

PD Dr. Dominik Cordier

Leitender Arzt

Neurochirurgie

Brain Tumor Center

Management

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