CAROLINA REGIONAL CANCER CENTER ANNOUNCES PILOT PROGRAM FOR ADAPTIVE TREATMENT PLANNING TO FURTHER EXPAND THE BENEFITS OF ITS TOMOTHERAPY HI•ART TREATMENT SYSTEM

Carolina Regional Cancer Center (CRCC), an affiliate of MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, has initiated a Pilot Program to study the benefits of Adaptive Treatment Planning utilizing the TomoTherapy® Hi•Art® Treatment System, one of the most effective forms of radiation treatment available.  Adaptive tr... [read more]

CAROLINA REGIONAL CANCER CENTER WELCOMES NEWS AS AFFILIATE, MUSC HOLLINGS CANCER CENTER, RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS DESIGNATION BY NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE

Carolina Regional Cancer Center (CRCC), affiliated with the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Hollings Cancer Center (HCC), announced today that HCC recently received designation by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as one of the top cancer research centers in the country. HCC is one of only 64 other can... [read more]

Brain Tumor Side Effects

During the course of treatment, the patient will not have any pain from the therapy. The patient will probably be on steroids due to swelling in the brain caused by these tumors, and the patient should continue on steroids during the course of the radiation due to the fact the radiation itself may cause swelling in the brain.

Most patients will not have any specific effects from the radiation on a daily basis. The only sensation from treatment is to hear the machine turn on and off. On about the 12th or 13th treatment, the patient may notice there is beginning to be some mild hair loss and some redness on portions of the skull. By the 15th treatment, the patient will have lost a significant amount of hair.

At times this hair loss may be permanent. Some patients become quite nauseated and have vomiting, but they are in the vast minority; most patients do not experience nausea and vomiting. Some patients do become quite tired and sleep excessively. Families are advised not to be too concerned with this. Unfortunately, with glioblastomas about one-third of the tumors will grow despite the radiation, and at times it is necessary to stop the treatment because the tumors are progressing. Progression of tumor is made evident by worsening of the patient's symptoms.

In the patients who have long-term survival from radiation, a small percentage will have some death of brain tissue in the area of the surgical procedure and the targeted radiation volume. This is called "brain necrosis." These patients, many times, will have a return of the symptoms which were present at the time of the primary tumor resection. In the past, it has been difficult to determine whether such findings were secondary to an actual recurrence of the tumor or from death of brain tissue since both look the same on MRI and CT scan.

Today, a PET (positron emission tomography) scan often times can tell us whether the patient has necrosis or tumor recurrence. Tumor necrosis is curable by surgical drainage. Unfortunately, recurrent malignant gliomas are not cured.

During the course of the radiation treatment, the patient will be seen at least once a week by the attending radiation oncologist. The patient will be seen daily by the radiation therapist who delivers the treatment, and the therapist will be asking the patient or the family various questions regarding the patient's health. Patients can be seen by the doctor any time they are having problems. They or their family only need to let the radiation therapist know.

In summary, gliomas of the brain are serious diseases which have been shown to have better survival chances when surgery is followed by postoperative radiation. The most modern treatment methods are used at the Carolina Regional Cancer Center, including IMRT when it is indicated. The patient will be monitored at least weekly by the physician, and we are always open to questions regarding the treatment or the patient's situation.