General Information About Rectal Cancer

Treatment of Symptoms

Seizures: Treated with anti-seizure Medications

Brain Swelling : Treated with steroids, most commonly dexamethasone

Blood Clots: People can develop blood clots in the legs and lungs. Treated with blood thinners.

Surgery

Initial treatment of high-grade glioma involves removing as much of the tumor as safely possible, while sparing areas of the normal brain that control critical functions such as speech or balance.

Radiation

Even after complete tumor removal, almost all high-grade gliomas come back. This is because of tumor cells growing into the surrounding normal brain. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells and is usually recommended after surgery. Radiation can delay recurrence and prolong life.

Radiation is generally given as a series of once-daily treatments (called fractions), commonly over 6 weeks. The area where the radiation is delivered (called radiation field) is calibrated so that the smallest possible amount of normal brain in the radiation field as possible receives radiation.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy refers to medications that stop or slow the growth of cancer cells by interfering with the ability of rapidly growing cells like cancer cells to divide.

The drug that is most widely used for high-grade glioma is temozolomide (Brand name: Temodar). Temozolomide is usually taken by mouth daily during radiation and then for up to six monthly cycles (five consecutive days every four weeks) after completing radiation.

Electric fields

A battery-powered device that provides low-strength electric fields around the tumor (Optune-https://www.optune.com) is another treatment option. The device is applied directly to the scalp after the head is shaved and should to be worn for at least 18 hours per day. Compared to Temodar alone, this prolonged life.