Brain and spinal cord cancer

Our service

At Barts Cancer Centre, we provide a comprehensive, state-of-the-art service for patients with tumours of the brain. We have some of the most up-to-date equipment in the world, meaning that we are able to diagnose a patient’s particular cancer faster and more accurately and treat it in the most effective way possible, using equipment not available in many other hospitals.

Our specialists treat both benign and malignant primary brain tumours and secondary brain cancers.

Each year, about 4,300 people in the UK are diagnosed with a brain tumour and around 150 of those are treated at Barts Cancer Centre.

Treatments available

The treatments and equipment used at our centre are at the forefront of modern healthcare. As with all of our services at Barts Cancer Centre, treatments offered will depend on individual cases and the stage of cancer. This will be discussed in detail with every patient by one of our medical team once a diagnosis has been made.

Patients referred to Barts Cancer Centre with a suspected brain tumour will undergo a series of detailed tests and scans to determine whether a tumour is present, the stage of the tumour and its precise position. For details about cancer staging, please click here.

At Barts Cancer Centre we have world-class facilities for diagnosing cancer and we use the best equipment in the world. This includes PET CT and MRI scanning, which enable us to accurately pinpoint the position of the tumour, allowing us to plan the best possible treatment.

Surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy may be options for the treatment of brain tumours. Please read on for more details about our specialist treatments available at Barts Cancer Centre.

Surgery

Once the exact type and position of the tumour is known, a more extensive operation can be done to remove all or part of it. A craniotomy is an operation that involves opening the skull and for this patients will have a general anaesthetic. In some situations it will be too difficult or dangerous to remove even a small part of the tumour, or the doctors will think that other treatments are more suitable.

Gamma knife radiosurgery

Our gamma knife service is one of only four services available to NHS patients in the country, and the only NHS service in London. It is used to treat different types of braintumour and it works by targeting radiation precisely on the tumour, and it minimises damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Unlike brain surgery, the patient has a local, rather than general anaesthetic and is often well enough to go back to work the following day. In most cases, it is effective after one single dose and can be used for many different types of tumours – malignant and benign – in the brain, and in the head and neck area. For more details about our gamma knife service, please click here.

Surgery for tumours including image guided surgery, awake craniotomy and implantation of gliadel wafers
We are able to perform intraoperative cortical mapping for patients with tumours that are close to crucial functional parts of the brain. This involves surgery whilst the patient is awake, and the tumour can be removed while the vital areas of the brain that must be protected can be identified by electrical stimulation. This reduces the risks of the surgery causing neurological problems.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is not used to treat all brain tumours. It may be used for people with high-grade primary brain tumours where the tumour has come back. It may also be used as part of the treatment for secondary brain tumours. In these situations the chemotherapy is unlikely to be able to cure a brain tumour completely, but it can sometimes shrink a tumour down or slow its growth and so can reduce symptoms.

Sometimes, chemotherapy is used in conjunction with surgery. For patients with some types of brain tumour, wafers (known as gliadel wafers) containing chemotherapy agents can be placed in the cavity left after removal of the tumour during surgery. These small gel wafers gradually dissolve and allow the chemotherapy drugs to spread directly into the brain. This can slow down any recurrence of the tumour.

Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy is often used after surgery| to treat any cancer cells that may have been left behind. It can also be given to treat secondary brain tumours, or when a primary brain tumour can’t be removed or has come back after surgery.

Patients having radiotherapy for a brain tumour may need to wear a transparent mask over their face and head during the treatment. This is to keep the head as still as possible, ensuring that the radiotherapy is targeted to the precise area of the tumour. This mask is made specially for each patient.

For patients

Every patient is treated as an individual and thanks to our state-of-the-art facilities some of our patients have brain surgery under a local anaesthetic and can go home on the same day.

For patients who require chemotherapy they will be supported by one of our clinical nurse specialists who will oversee all aspects of treatment.

For clinicians

We consistently achieve national access targets for patients with suspected cancer and for treatment following diagnosis. Referral criteria and forms are all available on our website, please click here for referral forms.

A comprehensive radiotherapy and oncology service is provided for our patients by Dr Nick Plowman at Barts.

A joint neuro-oncology clinic involving Mr Elsmore and Dr Plowman is held weekly at Barts and regular multi-disciplinary team meetings are also held at Barts.

Stereotactic radiosurgery treatment is provided to our patients by Mr Elsmore and Dr Plowman who are both treating consultants at our gamma knife facility.

Dr Nick Plowman Tel: 020 346 55233

Mr Andrew Elsmore Tel: 020 7377 3381

Research

Barts has been at the forefront of medical discovery since it was founded nearly 900 years ago and today, our research continues to be recognised for its originality, significance and rigour. The results of the work we do here means we are constantly improving the treatments and care we can offer patients.

Professor Marino, professor of neuropathology, is a member of our multidisciplinary team, and has conducted laboratory-based research into stem cells and brain tumours.