Novel combined therapy extends life, diminishes pain in brain cancer patients
Thursday, July 14, 2011 - 14:30
in Health & Medicine
Approximately five to ten percent of patients with primary or metastatic cancer suffer from devastating neurological complications such as headaches, seizures, confusion, difficulty swallowing and visual disturbances. These deficits are caused by a life-threatening form of brain invasion from cancer called neoplastic meningitis. Santosh Kesari, MD, PhD, at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and colleagues have utilized a novel combined technique to treat cancer patients by bathing the brain in chemotherapy and relieving pressure from spinal fluid build-up (hydrocephalus). The results of this multicenter study are described in Journal of Neurosurgery, now available online.