Brain Tumors: Novalis Tx Treatment Overview

500 South Paulina Street Chicago, IL 60612 (312) 942-‐4600 www.rushradiosurgery.com 555 East Valley Parkway, Escondido, CA 92025 760-‐739-‐3835 SDRadiosurgery.com

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A brain tumor diagnosis can be scary. Learn more about brain tumors and how we can help. Please note: We encourage consumers to thoroughly review and understand all treatment op8ons. The informa8on presented here is not all-‐inclusive. Rather, it represents a star8ng point to learn more about medical condi8ons and treatment op8ons. This is not intended as a subs.tute for medical advice from your professional healthcare provider. Contact your professional healthcare provider to find out if Novalis Tx treatment is right for you.

555 East Valley Parkway, Escondido, CA 92025 760-‐739-‐3835 SDRadiosurgery.com




What is a brain tumor?

A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of cells within the brain or the central spinal canal and can be cancerous or benign. Brain tumors, even malignant ones, are not necessarily fatal. However, any brain tumor should be considered a serious health condi;on. Brain tumors can be primary (origina;ng in the brain or spinal cord) or metastaQc (origina;ng in another part of the body and spreading to the brain).



•  Headaches •  Vomi;ng •  Vision problems •  Altered states of consciousness •  Impaired judgment •  Memory loss •  Lack of recogni;on •  Spa;al orienta;on disorders

•  An impaired sense of touch, hearing, vision or smell

•  Personality or emo;onal changes •  Weakness on one side of the body or

facial paralysis •  Speech and language impairment •  Abnormal fa;gue •  Tremors or epilep;c seizures

What are symptoms of a brain tumor?



•  AcousQc Neuroma: A benign, slow-‐growing tumor type, acous;c neuromas affect the seventh and eighth cranial nerves in a part of the brain known as the cerebellar-‐pon;ne angle.

•  Brain Metastases: A brain metastasis is a brain tumor that develops from cancer cells

that spread from another cancerous tumor in the body, usually through the bloodstream. •  Glioma: A glioma is a class of tumor that develops from glial cells in the brain that

support and protect neurons. Astrocytes, ependymal and oligodendroglial cells are all examples of glial cells. Includes: Astrocytoma, Glioblastoma Mul;forme, Glioma, Oligodendroglioma.

•  Meningioma: A benign tumor located on the brain surface rather than within brain

;ssue. •  Pituitary Adenoma: Located at the base of the skull, the pituitary gland serves as the

body’s control center for hormones. Pituitary adenomas are slow-‐growing, benign tumors within the gland.

What types of brain tumors exist?





How does Novalis Tx treat brain tumors?

Novalis Tx uses stereotac;c radiosurgery, a nonsurgical method of trea;ng tumors using a very precise, high dose of radia;on. During treatment, pa;ents lie on a table while the machine rotates around them, aiming radia;on beams directly at a tumor site. The treatment process includes: I.  Consulta;on appointment II.  Pretreatment procedures III.  Novalis Tx treatment IV.  Follow-‐up



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJ_qt0LaaHM

ConsultaQon and Pretreatment Procedures San Diego Radiosurgery physicians, therapists and nurses are focused on your individualized plan for treatment: •  You will meet a San Diego Radiosurgery radia;on oncologist to decide if Novalis Tx treatment

is appropriate for your diagnosis. •  Your treatment team will decide which pretreatment procedures you may need to help

develop your treatment plan. These could include a CT scan, an MRI, laboratory studies or ;ssue markers.

•  The data from your pretreatment procedures will be used by the treatment team to

determine the exact size, shape and loca;on of your tumor.

•  This informa;on will indicate the size of the area being treated with radia;on, the radia;on dose and cri;cal structures where radia;on exposure should be minimized.



Novalis Tx Treatment The accuracy of Novalis Tx allows physicians to treat difficult-‐to-‐reach tumors that may have been impossible to treat in the past. Treatment involves one to five sessions, with a typical session las;ng about 15 minutes. 1.  Pa;ents are observed throughout the

treatment on closed-‐circuit television, and they can pause treatment at any ;me by waving or speaking to the technicians.

2.  During treatment, the machine rotates around the pa;ent to deliver radia;on from various angles. The radia;on beam is sculpted and shaped to match the three-‐dimensional shape of the tumor, helping protect nearby healthy ;ssue and cri;cal organs.

3.  Pa;ents can usually return to their normal

rou;nes once the treatment is complete.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION •  Treatment procedures take about 15 – 20

minutes, depending on the complexity of your tumor.

•  Pa;ents are asked to wear comfortable clothing during treatments. Jewelry is acceptable unless it is close to the area being treated.

•  Feel free to bring an iPod® or your favorite music CDs with you on the day of your treatment, and we will play them for you during the procedure.



AddiQonal Resources



www.abta.org

www.braintumor.org

www.meningiomamommas.org

www.cancercare.org

www.cancer.org

Under the leadership of Medical Director Dr. Brian Volpp, San Diego Radiosurgery offers advanced cancer treatment by some of the region’s most experienced oncologists and technicians. Our center uses a state-‐of-‐the-‐art radiosurgery plaborm called Novalis Tx, which offers pa;ents fast, accurate nonsurgical treatments for cancer and certain medical condi;ons without incision or seda;on.

Medical Director: Dr. Brian Volpp, M.P.H Novalis Tx Nurse: Cathy Blazek, RN, BSN

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Date post:	05-Dec-2014
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Brain Tumors: Novalis Tx Treatment Overview

Health & Medicine