Our cancer specialists are skilled at treating many types of neurological cancers, including:

• Brain tumors
• Cranial tumors
• Complex spinal diseases
• Movement disorders
• Pituitary tumors
• Spinal tumors

Our neurosurgeons diagnose and treat a wide range of brain, head and spine cancers. If appropriate, you may take part in a clinical trial, which provides you with the newest, most promising treatment.

Your care team will use different tests to diagnose your condition. They include:

• Biopsy
• Cerebrospinal fluid analysis
• CT scan
• Lumbar puncture
• MRI scan
• PET scan

Your care depends on your type of cancer and treatment goals. Options include:

• Chemotherapy. We use chemotherapy to stop the growth and spread of your cancer. We often provide chemotherapy after surgery or biopsy. You can take chemotherapy by mouth as a pill or by IV into a vein or the cerebrospinal fluid.
• Clinical trials. We connect you to clinical trials and cancer studies for care. Clinical trials give you access to advanced treatments such as targeted therapies. A clinical trial may change the course of your treatment, give you more options, relieve side effects or help cure your cancer.
• Medicines. We use different medicines to help relieve your symptoms or side effects caused by your tumor or treatment. We might provide medicines to prevent seizures or control swelling in the brain.
• Radiation therapy. We use radiation from gamma rays, proton beams or X-rays to destroy cancer cells. Radiation can kill cancer cells left after surgery, relieve symptoms or shrink a tumor before surgery.
• Stereotactic radiosurgery. We use this nonsurgical radiation therapy to treat small brain tumors. Stereotactic radiosurgery delivers precisely targeted radiation in fewer high-dose treatments. This preserves healthy tissue.
• Surgery. Surgery is often the first treatment we use. We remove as much of the tumor as possible without damaging surrounding tissue. Surgery provides your doctor with tumor tissue that can be studied for an exact diagnosis and to monitor your condition.
• Targeted therapy. These new cancer medicines target different parts of tumor cells or nearby blood vessels. We use targeted therapy to treat certain types of brain tumors. Targeted therapy also serves as an option when surgery is not possible.

At Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, we provide the information and support you and your family need during your cancer journey. Our resources include:

• Cancer support services
• Clinical trials