Treatment of optic nerve glioma
Treatment for these cancers is best done by a multidisciplinary treatment team. Specialized therapy may be needed if there is memory loss. Members of the treatment team can include neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists. Surgery and radiation therapy are two possible ways of treating optic nerve glioma. Your doctor can determine which type of treatment is best for you. Surgery is not always an option. Surgery may be performed if doctors believe they can use it to completely remove the tumor. Alternately, if the tumor is not completely removable, surgeons may remove parts of it to help relieve pressure in the skull. Radiation therapy can be done before surgery to shrink the tumor before doctors it. Alternately, it may be done after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells. Radiation therapy involves using a machine to aim high-energy rays at the site of the tumor. Radiation therapy is not always recommended because it may cause further damage to the eyes and brain. Chemotherapyuses medications to kill cancer cells. This is particularly useful if the cancer has spread to other parts of the brain. Corticosteroids may be administered to reduce swelling in the skull. Treatment can kill healthy brain tissue. The dead tissue can look like cancer, so it needs to be monitored closely to ensure there’s no recurrence. Follow-up visits with your healthcare provider are necessary to check for side effects and ensure the cancer has not returned.