Can a Brain Tumour be Cured? Expert’s Explanation

Dr.Amit Srivastava, 3 mins read

The possibility of curing a brain tumour depends on a range of factors. These factors include tumour type, grade, location, and the patient’s overall health. The good news is that most benign (non-cancerous) brain tumours are curable. Even the treatment of cancerous (malignant) brain tumours has improved significantly.  

We understand the kind of mental and physical trauma you are going through after the diagnosis of a brain tumour. Understanding treatment options, success rates, and advancements in medical science can offer you new hope or maybe a cure as well. 

Types of Brain Tumours and Survival Rate

Benign Brain Tumours

These are non-cancerous tumours. Still, they need to be removed. Otherwise, they can cause potential complications, like pain, organ dysfunction, or the risk of turning into a cancerous one. 

Approximately 75% of brain tumours are non-cancerous. Meningiomas are common non-malignant tumours that originate in the covering of the brain, accounting for 55.4% of all benign brain tumours.

The average five-year survival rate for benign brain tumours is 91.8% after diagnosis. Thankfully, most of these tumours can be successfully removed with surgery and typically don't grow back. There are only 10% of cases in which recurrence occurs. 

Cancerous Brain Tumours

Cancerous or malignant tumours are more challenging to treat, especially if they're located in sensitive areas of the brain or have spread to other parts. 

Around 28% of all brain tumours are cancerous, with glioblastoma being the common one, accounting for 50.1% of all malignant brain tumours.

The average five-year survival rate for cancerous brain tumours is around 35.7% after diagnosis. However, as the treatment options have improved, the survival rate is also increasing. 

Treatment Options

• Surgery: Surgery is the primary treatment for brain tumours, either cancerous or non-cancerous. The primary aim of surgery is to remove as much of the tumour as possible while minimising damage to surrounding brain tissue. 
  Advanced techniques, like minimally invasive surgery, image-guided surgery, and robotic-assisted surgery, can improve outcomes.
• Radiation Therapy: This treatment uses powerful beams of energy to destroy tumour cells. Options include external beam radiation and brachytherapy. In external beam radiation, the machine that emits radiation therapy is outside the body. However, in brachytherapy, the radiation therapy machine is inside the body. A doctor decides on what machine needs to be used.
• Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy uses potent medicines in pill or injection form to destroy cancerous cells. Sometimes, it can also be placed in the brain during surgery.
• Targeted Therapy: Targeted therapy targets specific chemicals of the tumour. It can be used for certain benign or malignant brain tumours. By blocking the chemical, tumour cells start to die.  
• Radiosurgery: Radiosurgery is an intense form of radiation treatment. It emits radiation beams from many angles. Each beam is not very powerful. But the point where each beam meets gets a large dose of radiation that kills the tumour cells.

Takeaway!

While brain tumours can be challenging to treat, advancements in medical science offer hope for extended and improved quality of life. Early diagnosis and treatment can significantly improve outcomes for both benign and cancerous brain tumours. If you or your loved one is diagnosed with a brain tumour, get a second opinion from our brain tumour experts at Aakash Healthcare to determine the best course of action.