“Can a tumor be decreased in size?”
My mother has been diagnosed with a benign tumor in her brain. Are there any medications that could help in decreasing the size of this tumor without surgery?
2 Answers
In most cases medicines are not helpful for treating benign brain tumors. Sometimes focused radiation can be used and may shrink a tumor. Some require surgery. Some we only watch and do not operate. It's important to be evaluated by a neurosurgeon who specializes in brain tumors.
As a general answer, most benign brain tumors are not treated with medications. However, there are exceptions--for example one type of pituitary tumor may be treated with medications. It really depends on type of tumor, location, etc. Besides surgery, some benign tumors are readily treated with a special form of radiation called radiosurgery. This is a non invasive treatment which does not require open surgery.
