Most benign tumours are removed with surgery and do not normally come back.

However, some slow-growing tumours (mainly gliomas) will grow back after treatment and have the potential to change into high-grade or malignant (cancerous) tumours. High-grade tumours are fast-growing and likely to spread. Therefore, it's essential to have follow-up appointments to monitor your condition.

Your healthcare team

Many hospitals use multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) to treat brain tumours. 

These are teams of specialists who work together to decide about the best way to proceed with your treatment.

Your team may include:

• a neurosurgeon, who will operate on your brain
• a neurologist, who will treat illness caused by the tumour and manage your chemotherapy, if necessary
• an oncologist, who will administer radiotherapy and chemotherapy
• a specialist nurse, who will give you information and support

You should be given the name and contact details of a key worker, who will support you during your brain tumour treatment. 

Choosing a treatment

Deciding on the treatment that's best for you can often be confusing. Your team will recommend what they think is the best treatment option, but the final decision will be yours.

Before visiting hospital to discuss your treatment options, you may find it useful to write a list of questions that you'd like to ask the specialist. For example, you may want to find out the advantages and disadvantages of particular treatments.

Medication

You may be given medication to help treat symptoms of a brain tumour before or after surgery, including:

• anticonvulsants to prevent seizures (fits)
• corticosteroids to reduce swelling around the tumour

Surgically removing a brain tumour

The aim of surgery is to remove as much of the tumour as possible without damaging the surrounding tissue. You will be given a general anaesthetic (this will put you to sleep) and an area of your scalp will be shaved. A section of the skull is cut out as a flap to reveal the brain and tumour underneath. This is known as a craniotomy. The surgeon can then remove the tumour.

Radiosurgery

Some tumours are situated deep inside the brain and are difficult to remove without damaging surrounding tissue. In such cases, radiosurgery may be used to treat the tumour.

During radiosurgery, a dose of high-energy radiation is focused on the tumour to kill it. The treatment is completed in one session, recovery is quick and an overnight stay in hospital is not usually required. Radiosurgery is only available in a few specialised centres in the UK and is only suitable for a selected group of people, based on the characteristics of their tumour.

For some tumours in the base of the skull, the patient may be referred abroad for specialised proton radiotherapy.

Chemotherapy and radiotherapy

Occasionally, chemotherapy and radiotherapy may be used to shrink a benign tumour.

Chemotherapy uses medication to kill tumour cells and can be given as a tablet, an injection or a drip. Radiotherapy involves controlled doses of high-energy radiation, usually X-rays, to kill the tumour cells.

Side effects of these treatments can include tiredness, headaches, hair loss, nausea and reddening of your skin.

Read more detailed information about:

• side effects of radiotherapy 
• side effects of chemotherapy