brain cancer

Brain cancer, or a primary brain tumor, is a cancer that begins in the tissues of the brain.  It rarely spreads to other parts of the body, although if not treated, it will grow and the symptoms will worsen over time.  Brain cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths, but research has produced new, more effective treatment methods.  Surgery, radiation and chemotherapy are the most commonly used treatments.

Our multidisciplinary brain and spine neuro-oncology clinic at The James brings together a team of expert physicians to provide patients the benefit of the latest knowledge and techniques in related areas of specialization.

A fund established by the Ohio Supreme Court to further cancer research has provided support for the Dardinger Family Endowed Chair in Oncological Neurosurgery held by E. Antonio Chiocca, MD, PhD, and the Esther Dardinger Endowed Chair in Neuro-Oncology held by Herbert Newton, MD, as well as the opening of the Dardinger Neuro-Oncology Center at Ohio State's James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. Co-directed by Chiocca and Newton, the Center is devoted to research and treatment of cancer affecting the central nervous system.  In addition, more than $1.5 million per year has been awarded by the National Institutes of Health to Dr. Chiocca and his research group to study the biology of this cancer and find new treatments.

With research and treatment areas under one roof at the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, we are able to better facilitate translational research and the application of research advances to patient care.  For example:

• Patients whose brain tumors were once considered inoperable can now benefit from stereotactic radiosurgery, a non-invasive technique offered by The James that delivers high-dose radiation to a precisely targeted area while sparing healthy tissue. The procedure has low risk, is cost effective and requires only a short hospital stay.
• Gamma knife surgery is a stereotactic radiosurgery technique used to treat people with brain cancer and other neurological disorders. With this specialized radiation machine, 201 tiny, Cobalt60 radioactive sources precisely direct radiation beams, which all converge in one spot. Complex computer computations are carried out to create an individualized treatment plan for each patient and each tumor. The procedure has been used to treat nearly 80,000 individuals to date. The James is one of the only central Ohio facilities that offers gamma knife surgery.
• Through the use of intra-operative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and a global positioning system (GPS) in the operating room, OSUCCC-James surgeons are able to remove brain tumors with greater efficiency and less risk. This technology enables the surgeons to operate while patients are anesthetized, but awake, which is especially effective in helping to preserve patients’ speech functions.
• Physicians at The James may also use Peacock Stereotactic Radiotherapy, a radiation treatment method that helps focus treatment precisely to a selected area. The Peacock system is able to hold the head very still, then guide and shape the radiation that destroys the tumor. The dose of radiation is carefully planned to be a safe amount in the right place. Aiming the radiation only at the tumor helps protect other important nerves and areas of the brain.
• New research at the OSUCCC-James shows than an oncolytic virus (a virus that kills cancer cells) can increase the survival of mice with an incurable human brain tumor. Chiocca says this was a preliminary study, but he believes oncolytic viruses offer a promising new strategy. His collaborators included Yoshinaga Saeki, MD, PhD, chief of the Dardinger Laboratory for Neuro-Oncology and Neurosciences, and post-doctoral fellow Hirokazu Kambara, PhD.
• New clinical trials using molecular and conventional forms of chemotherapy are under development and will use drugs such as erlotinib, sunitinib, AQ4N, AZD2171, and dose-intensive temozolomide. Under the direction of Herbert Newton, MD, and Robert Cavaliere, MD, these protocols will become an important clinical resource for brain tumor patients in Ohio and the upper Midwest.

The Dardinger Newsletter provides an annual update for Dardinger Neuro-Oncology Center patients, donors and staff about related news, events and research (including open and planned clinical trials)