Our Approach

	Neuro-oncologist Lisa DeAngelis consults with a patient

Physicians at Memorial Sloan-Kettering have pioneered new technologies to remove brain tumors while sparing healthy tissue. These include advances in surgery, such as the use of functional MRI -- an advanced imaging technique that can map areas of the brain, such as speech and motor centers -- to plan neurosurgery. Tissue-sparing advances in radiation therapy include 3-D conformal radiation therapy, which uses computer imaging to map the exact location of a tumor and plan the angles of radiation beams so the tumor is targeted as precisely as possible. New approaches using chemotherapeutic drugs that sensitize cancer cells to radiation therapy may allow the overall radiation dose to be lowered, so that the healthy tissue surrounding the tumor also gets a lower dose.

Innovations in Chemotherapy

At Memorial Sloan-Kettering, our doctors were the first to use chemotherapy for central nervous system lymphomas and oligodendrogliomas, and we are at the forefront of developing therapies for these diseases. Our neuro-oncologists are working to develop a number of new chemotherapy drugs, including targeted therapies (drugs that attack cancer cells specifically without harming normal cells), for these and other forms of brain cancer.

Investigational Approaches & Leading Edge Research

We offer a number of clinical trials of new targeted therapies for patients with primary brain tumors. Memorial Sloan-Kettering clinicians and scientists are also investigating the genetic makeup of brain tumors to develop more precise means of diagnosis, find rational targets for therapy, and overcome the resistance of the most common primary brain tumors to radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

We are also working to better understand a protein tumor marker, YKL-40, found to be elevated in the blood of patients with glioblastoma. Being able to track a tumor marker in patients with brain tumors could help with diagnosis, and also during treatment -- monitoring the effectiveness of therapy and identifying a potential recurrence.

In addition, our neuro-oncology molecular imaging program is recognized nationally for its research into the specific molecular abnormalities that characterize malignant brain tumors and the use of positron emission tomography (PET) to help monitor the effects of therapy.

Memorial Sloan-Kettering is a member of the North American Brain Tumor Consortium (one of the National Cancer Institute's sponsored brain tumor research groups), which means that we have a number of NCI-sponsored clinical trials for patients with brain cancer as well as a several of our own protocols. We are also the lead institution in many of these multicenter trials.

Our Publications Visit PubMed for our journal articles go

In addition to providing our patients with the very best care available, our physicians and scientists are working to improve the ways in which we diagnose and treat brain tumors. Fostering collaboration between Memorial Sloan-Kettering's clinical and research arms, the Brain Tumor Center generates research and preclinical data on primary brain tumors and metastatic tumors to the brain, which in turn promotes the translation of basic science and preclinical data into clinical trials.

Work undertaken through the Brain Tumor Center builds on initiatives already underway at Memorial Hospital and Sloan-Kettering Institute, including research that offers promising new leads in understanding the basic biology of diseases such as glioblastoma.

For more information, visit the Brain Tumor Center section on the Web site.

Patient Stories Meet some of our patients and read their stories more

We believe that treating the whole person, not just the disease, is the best way to treat patients and family members coping with brain cancer treatment. Our medical staff understands that having a tumor that affects the brain or spinal cord can be overwhelming, and we are always available to help address the needs and concerns of our patients and their family members.

Memorial Sloan-Kettering offers a broad range of psychosocial support programs designed to help patients and family members cope with the spectrum of issues related to life during and after treatment. For more information about the support services we offer patients with brain tumors, their families and caregivers, visit the Follow-Up Care & Support Services section of our Web site.