Most people with brain cancer have surgery. Some also have radiotherapy or chemotherapy or targeted therapy. If you have brain cancer, you might need one of these, or a combination of them.
Your doctors will talk to you about what treatments they recommend and what your options are, so there won’t be any surprises.
Yarn with your doctor, nurse or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Worker about which treatment/s you might have and including any traditional medicine and cultural practices as part of your treatment plan.
Surgery
Surgery is done to take out the cancer and help stop it from spreading. Brain tumours can be removed completely by surgery called craniotomy.
You will need to stay in hospital and have an anaesthetic and an operation. Sometimes you may need to have radiotherapy after surgery to reduce the size of the cancer or reduce the chance of the cancer coming back.
Your doctor will yarn with you about what treatments they recommend, and which options are best for you. It is important to also talk to your doctor about what support you and your family need during this time and any traditional medicine or cultural practices you want to include.
Read more about surgery.
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy, also called radiation therapy, uses X-rays to destroy cancer cells in one specific part of your body.
Most people who have radiotherapy have it 5 days a week for 4-6 weeks, and each session takes an hour or so. But it might be different for you.
You can only have radiotherapy in cities and some big towns – see this list. If your doctor thinks radiotherapy would help, and you don’t live near a radiotherapy site, there is help to find somewhere to stay, support to keep you connected to family and assistance to cover expenses. Having family with you during radiotherapy treatment is an important support that helps keeps you strong.
Yarn with your doctor, nurse, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Worker or social worker about your radiotherapy and what support you and your family need before, during and after treatment. Being away from Country and family can be distressing so making sure you have the right support is important.
Read more about radiotherapy.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy, or ’chemo’, involves you taking strong drugs to kill the cancer cells.
Many people have chemotherapy in cycles which will be outlined to you by your treating team. Most chemotherapy for brain cancer comes as a tablet that you can take at home. Some people may need to go to hospital or a clinic to get treatment in the form of injections.
Chemo can make people feel sick for a while, but there are things they can do to help.
Yarn with your doctor, nurse or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Worker about combining medical and traditional practices to address side effects.
Read more about chemotherapy and side effects.
Targeted therapies
Targeted therapies are newer drugs that try to stop the cancer growing. Targeted therapies attack cancer cells without harming healthy cells. If your doctor thinks they might help, here are some questions to ask.
Read more about targeted therapy.