Brain Cancer

Treatment Information
The Clinical Neuro-Oncology Program at Emory Winship Cancer Institute serves as a one-stop treatment for patients with brain and spinal cord tumors and functions as a multidisciplinary brain/spinal cord tumor clinic and real time tumor board.

With a team of professionals from the fields of neuropathology, neuroradiology, neurosurgery, and neuro-oncology and laboratory scientists of the Winship Brain Tumor Program for rapid translational research, and neurosurgery, the Neuro-Oncology team at Winship offers patients faster, more effective treatment.

Weekly Brain Tumor Conferences are held to discuss management of cases from a multidisciplinary team of Neuro-Oncology, Neuro-radiology, Radiation Oncology, Pathology, and Neurosurgery.

Diagnostic Testing
The Neuro-Oncology program uses sophisticated techniques for brain tumor detection, diagnosis and follow-up. These include non-invasive imaging by computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Extensive molecular laboratory and pathology support also is available.

Diagnostic Testing Treatment
The most advanced surgical diagnostic techniques such as stereotactic biopsy, frameless stereotaxis, and computer-guided neurosurgery are available. Radiation therapy in the form of image modulated radiation therapy, fractionated stereotactic radiation and stereotactic radiosurgery are utilized on a routine basis. Medical management with standard cytotoxic agents as well as novel treatments to alter tumor vasculature and immune responsiveness are pursued.

Clinical Trials
The Neuro-Oncology Program is a member of the "New Approaches to Brain Tumor Therapy" (NABTT) CNS Consortium. The goal of the program is to improve the therapeutic outcome for adults with primary brain tumors.

This consortium is one of two programs nationwide that is funded by the National Cancer Institute to conduct Phase I and Phase II clinical evaluations of promising new treatment strategies, routes of administrations, and clinical trial design in the treatment of primary malignancies of the central nervous system. The primary goals of the NABTT CNS Consortium are to develop scientific advances and improve clinical outcomes for patients with primary brain tumors.

Winship currently offers treatment trials for newly diagnosed and malignant brain tumors sponsored by NABTT, as well as ones from industrial sources and originated at Emory.

Team Overview
At Winship, your Neuro-Oncology team includes midlevel providers (nurse practitioners, physicians assistants), board certified physicians, oncology nurses, and basic scientists.

Support Groups
Led by Karen Shires, RN, OCN, the Brain Tumor support group provides a comfortable setting for patients, families, friends and caregivers to share their experiences, learn about current therapies, hear interesting speakers who provide information about all aspects of diagnosis and treatments.

Meeting Details
First Thursday of each month
12:30 - 2:30 pm
The Emory Clinic Neurosurgery Department
1365B Clifton Road, Suite B2200
1-888-WINSHIP (1-888-946-7447)