Expert Care for Brain Tumors in Arizona

A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of cells in or around your brain. There are three types of brain tumors:

• Primary malignant brain tumor is a tumor that starts in your brain and may spread to other parts of the brain or the spine. Examples are glioblastoma, astrocytoma, and brainstem glioma.
• Brain tumor metastasis is a secondary brain tumor that occurs when cancer in another part of the body spreads to the brain.
• Benign brain tumor is a primary, noncancerous brain tumor. It may grow and cause potentially serious problems depending on its exact location, but it does not spread beyond the brain. Most are benign.

Arizona’s finest neurological care is available at Dignity Health, including treatment for brain tumors in Arizona. Our Dignity Health Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph’s has been named a top neurological hospital by US News and World Report. Find a Doctor online and make an appointment today.

Brain Tumor Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of brain tumors vary according to the tumor’s size and location. There may be no signs in the early stages. Some of the more common symptoms are:

• Increase in headaches
• Changes in the types of headaches you normally have
• Dizziness
• Blurred vision
• Difficulty speaking
• Difficulty concentrating or staying on task
• Nausea and vomiting
• Personality changes
• Seizures

Causes of Brain Tumor

A brain tumor can develop when a normal cell acquires a change (mutation) in its DNA that makes the cell grow and multiply too fast. The primary tumor can start in different types of cells in the brain.

Risk factors that may increase your chances of developing a brain tumor are:

• Certain illnesses such as neurofibromatosis, tuberous sclerosis, and immune disorders
• Exposure to radiation such as treatment for childhood cancers
• Family history of brain tumors

Brain Tumor Treatment at Dignity Health

Treatment depends upon the type, size, and stage of your brain tumor, and where your tumor is located in your brain. Your personalized treatment plan may include: 

• Chemotherapy, powerful drugs that kill cancer cells or slow their growth
• Targeted therapy, a newer type of medication that directly targets tumors
• Radiation therapy, aimed directly at the tumor in the brain or at the whole body, if the cancer started elsewhere in the body
• Stereotactic radiosurgery, similar to radiation therapy, it relies on a three-dimensional map of the brain to target radiation
• Surgery, small and accessible tumors may be removed; part of larger tumors may be removed part to ease pressure on surrounding brain tissue and improve symptoms

Dignity Health provides trusted brain tumor treatment in Arizona.