Treat Brain Cancer with the GLIADEL® Wafer at Dignity Health - St. Rose Dominican Hospitals
The GLIADEL® Wafer is a treatment used for high-grade malignant glioma, a form of brain cancer. It is used along with radiation therapy and surgery.
The GLIADEL Wafer is a new way of delivering chemotherapy. Brain cancer specialists may recommend the system for people who have newly diagnosed, high-grade malignant glioma, or recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (cancer that has returned after treatment).
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), anaplastic astrocytoma, and high-grade malignant glioma are the most severe types of brain cancers. The tumors grow quickly and can be hard to treat. While GLIADEL Wafers are not a cure for any of these types of brain cancer, they may slow down the progress of the tumor in some people. Specialists carefully weigh your treatment options to determine if you are a good candidate for the GLIADEL Wafer system.
If you are living with one of these severe brain cancers, you may be a candidate for the GLIADEL Wafer in Las Vegas or Henderson, NV. To learn more about this treatment option, find a neurologist or neurosurgeon associated with Dignity Health - St. Rose Dominican hospitals or call (702) 616-4900.
How the GLIADEL Wafer Works
The small, biodegradable GLIADEL wafer is about the size of a dime and is soaked with a chemotherapy drug. The wafer is placed directly in the brain after a surgeon has removed as much of the tumor as possible. More than one wafer may be implanted, depending on how many tumors are in the brain and how large an area they cover.
Consider & Compare the GLIADEL Wafer in Las Vegas and Henderson, NV
The GLIADEL Wafer delivers chemotherapy directly to the tumor site. This localized chemotherapy helps reduce damage to healthy cells. It is given during surgery to remove the tumor. There is no hair loss or extreme fatigue compared to conventional chemotherapy that is delivered through a vein to your entire body.
Side effects with GLIADEL Wafers include seizures, infection, nausea, vomiting, weakness, swelling in the brain, and delayed wound healing from brain surgery. Some of these effects are also possible with brain surgery alone.
Your neurosurgery care team will take precautions before and after surgery to minimize seizures and treat other side effects. In most cases, the benefits of treatment with the GLIADEL Wafer outweigh the side effects.
After you recover from brain surgery and GLIADEL Wafer treatment, your care team will monitor you regularly to see how well the treatment is working.
Dignity Health - St. Rose Dominican hospitals provides treatment options like the GLIADEL Wafer in Las Vegas and Henderson, NV, as a part of our neurological services.