Published Paper Details:

Brain tumors are common, requiring general medical providers to have a basic understanding of their diagnosis and management. The most prevalent brain tumors are intracranial metastases from systemic cancers, meningiomas, and gliomas, specifically, glioblastoma. Central nervous system metastases may occur anywhere along the neuroaxis, and require complex multidisciplinary care with neurosurgery, radiation oncology, and medical oncology. Meningiomas are tumors of the meninges, mostly benign and often managed by surgical resection, with radiation therapy and chemotherapy reserved for high-risk or refractory disease. Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive malignant primary brain tumor, with a limited response to standard-of-care concurrent chemoradiation. The new classification of gliomas relies on molecular features, as well as histology, to arrive at an "integrated diagnosis" that better captures prognosis. This manuscript will review the most common brain tumors with an emphasis on their diagnosis, oncologic management, and management of medical complications. Early diagnosis and treatment are important in diminishing the morbidity and mortality rates in the latter group and in providing better palliative management in the former. Advances in neuroradiology, particularly the development of CT, have made early diagnosis possible, given clinical awareness of the syndromes of brain tumour on the part of the physician. New methods of accurate CT-controlled surgery for glioma have also been introduced. Advances in adjuvant methods of radiotherapy, with radiation sensitizers or interstitial implantation, and of chemotherapy by tailoring the drug regimen to an individual patient and by targetting agents specifically to brain tumour, are being sought while the feasibility of fresh modes of immunotherapy has been tested. These developments hold some hope that results for malignant glioma may improve in the forseeable future.