Whether you have an upcoming procedure scheduled to treat your secondary brain tumor or you are just beginning to learn about the options available to you, it can be helpful to know what to anticipate with your treatment and recovery. By taking a little extra time to educate yourself and prepare beforehand, you will have a better understanding of what to expect following treatment, allowing you to focus more wholly on recovering.
Someone being treated for a secondary brain tumor can expect to be treated with surgery, traditional radiation therapy and/or Gamma Knife radiosurgery. Recovery times may vary greatly depending on the patient and their condition, but expect to hit benchmarks at 10 days after surgery, 1 month after surgery, 6 months after surgery and 6 months after Gamma Knife radiosurgery. Other factors, such as physical therapy, may influence this timeline.
Treatment Options
Some patients will be better candidates for one treatment modality over another, while others will require a combination approach. Your doctor will suggest a treatment plan that he or she feels will be most effective for you based on several factors, including your secondary brain tumor location, the number of lesions, your age and any complicating health conditions you may have.
Surgery
Your doctor may elect to take a traditional surgical approach to remove all or part of your brain tumor if it is large and cannot be treated by radiation therapy alone. Alternatively, if your tumor is small and easy to access without risk, your doctor may opt for surgical removal. However, many patients who undergo surgery are also treated with radiation to ensure all the cancer cells have been eradicated. If any remain, they could regrow and require retreatment.
You may also require surgery so your surgeon can take a biopsy, or sample, of the tumor to be analyzed by a specialist. The specialist will look at the biopsy under a microscope to better understand your secondary brain tumor, including where the cancer originated, and develop a report for the surgeon. This can be helpful if you have not received your primary cancer diagnosis and will help your healthcare team plan further treatment.
Gamma Knife Radiosurgery
Despite having “surgery” in its name, Gamma Knife radiosurgery does not involve an incision. It is a highly focused form of radiation therapy. Using Gamma Knife technology, the doctor can deliver targeted radiation to tumor cells, sparing the normal surrounding tissues. The result is a highly effective eradication of the tumor, often in a single session, without many of the side effects commonly resulting from radiation therapy.
If you have a small tumor that is easily targeted or if you are not a candidate for traditional surgery, your doctor may recommend Gamma Knife radiosurgery to treat your secondary brain tumor. Because of its effectiveness and reduced side effects, many practices are beginning to prefer radiosurgery over traditional radiation therapy for tumors amenable to radiation treatment.
Benchmarks
Your recovery process will be very individual to you and your condition, but it can be useful to understand what can be expected on a general basis.
Right After Surgery
If you undergo surgery to treat your metastatic brain tumor, you can expect to spend about three days in the hospital: one night in the ICU and then two days in the recovery ward. You will likely be given activity restrictions, including limits on lifting, exercising and possibly driving.
10 Days After Surgery
About a week after your discharge, expect to have a scheduled visit with your doctor to have any staples removed and to develop a follow-up treatment plan. You will be meeting with your oncologist to determine whether you will be undergoing chemotherapy, traditional radiation or Gamma Knife radiosurgery.
1 Month After Surgery
At this point, you will likely have recovered fully from your surgical procedure and will be in the process of starting your secondary treatment. If you are receiving Gamma Knife radiosurgery, you will start noticing an improvement in your symptoms. However, if you are undergoing chemotherapy, you may be feeling more fatigued than usual.
6 Months After Surgery
Though every patient is going to have a slightly different experience, most patients have finished treatment by this point. The brain tumor itself will likely be controlled, and your symptoms will have resolved. If not, you may be undergoing retreatment or continuing secondary treatment, but this is not the case for most patients.
6 Months After Gamma Knife Radiosurgery
If you undergo Gamma Knife radiosurgery, you can expect to undergo an MRI every three months for about two years, until there is no longer any evidence of the disease. After that, your MRIs will be less frequent and on a schedule determined by your doctor.
Physical Therapy
Whether your recovery involves physical therapy typically depends on your symptoms prior to treatment. If you did not present with any deficits requiring therapy prior to initiating treatment, you probably will not after. Similarly, if you experience deficits but they resolve within the first month following treatment, physical therapy will likely be unnecessary.
However, 10 to 20 percent of secondary brain tumor patients do experience deficits that will require physical therapy as part of the recovery process.
Putting It Together
At this point, you likely have an understanding of how variable metastatic brain tumor treatment can be. It will depend on circumstances of your condition, which treatment(s) you undergo and other factors, such as your age and the overall state of health.
That said, you have already taken steps to learn more about the process, which will only make your recovery that much easier. Continue to develop your knowledge base, and be sure to ask your provider if you find you have questions. Understanding is a powerful way to set your mind at ease, allowing you to focus on important things, like getting better.
