Surgery Not Be Recommended?

Before surgery your doctor will consider
the following:
• Location of the tumor. In some cases surgery
may not be possible because the tumor is so
deep within the brain that it is not accessible
without excessive risk of brain damage.
Tumors located in the brain stem and thalamus
are two examples. Other tumors may present a
problem if located near a sensitive area in the
brain that controls language, movement,
vision, or other important functions.
• Diagnosis and size of tumor. If a tumor is
benign, does not cause intracranial pressure
(due to its small size) or cause problems with
sensitive areas, avoiding or postponing
surgery might be considered.
• Number of tumors. The presence of
multiple tumors creates additional challenges
to safe removal.
• The borders, or edges, of the tumor. If the
tumor is poorly defined around the edges,
it may be mixed with normal brain tissue
and more difficult to remove completely.
• Your general health. Are your heart, lungs,
liver and over-all general health not strong
enough to endure the strains of surgery? If
this is a metastatic brain tumor (one which
began as a cancer elsewhere in your body),
is the primary cancer controlled?
• Your neurological status. Do you have
symptoms of increased intracranial pressure?
Are there signs of nerve damage possibly
caused by the tumor? If so, further evaluation
may be needed before surgery is attempted.
• Previous surgery. If you’ve had recent
surgery, it is usually necessary to recover from
the previous procedure before going through
another one.
• Other options. Is it likely that another
treatment would provide equal or better
results at comparable or lower risk?
Your doctor will take these points into
consideration in forming your treatment plan.