Benign brain tumor

Benign brain tumor care at Mayo Clinic

At Mayo Clinic, specialists within the Brain Tumor Program work together to provide comprehensive care for people with benign brain tumors. These tumors may include meningiomas, pituitary adenomas, vestibular schwannomas, craniopharyngiomas, hemangioblastomas and low-grade gliomas.

A benign brain tumor is not cancer. But diagnosis and treatment still can be complex. Some benign brain tumors can be watched safely with regular imaging. Others need treatment because they are growing, causing symptoms or pressing on important brain structures. At Mayo Clinic, the first step is to understand the tumor clearly so your care team can recommend the right care for you.

Your care team creates a plan based on the tumor type, size, location and growth rate. The plan also considers your symptoms, test results, overall health and goals. Some benign brain tumors can be watched with regular imaging. Others may need surgery, radiation therapy, radiosurgery, medicines, rehabilitation or other supportive care.

Your Mayo Clinic care team

Mayo Clinic specialists work together so you benefit from the knowledge and experience of a team. Your care team may include:

• Neuro-oncologists.
• Neurosurgeons.
• Neurologists.
• Radiation oncologists.
• Neuroradiologists.
• Neuropathologists.
• Rehabilitation specialists.

Other specialists may be part of your care depending on the tumor type and symptoms. For pituitary tumors, endocrinologists may help evaluate and treat hormone concerns. Ear, nose and throat specialists, hearing specialists and neuro-otologists may help care for acoustic neuromas, also called vestibular schwannomas. Neuro-ophthalmologists and other vision specialists may help if a tumor affects vision.

Geneticists and genetic counselors may be involved when a tumor is linked to an inherited condition, such as von Hippel-Lindau disease.

Your specialists review your diagnosis and treatment choices together. This helps reduce fragmented care and gives you a plan that reflects input from the specialists most relevant to your tumor.

Close collaboration enables the team to have your test results available quickly and to coordinate your appointments. Evaluation and treatment that might take months elsewhere can typically be done in only a matter of days at Mayo Clinic.

Advanced diagnosis and treatment

Getting the right diagnosis is an important first step. Benign brain tumors can be very different from one another. Some grow slowly and may not need treatment right away. Others can affect vision, hearing, balance, hormone levels, speech, movement, thinking or memory.

At Mayo Clinic, specialists use advanced tests to learn more about the tumor and create a treatment plan.

Tests may include:

• Imaging tests. MRI, CT, PET scans and specialized MRI tests can show where the tumor is and how it may be affecting nearby structures.
• Vision, hearing or hormone tests. These tests may be used depending on the tumor type and symptoms.
• Lab testing of tumor tissue. A tumor sample may be tested to confirm the diagnosis.
• Molecular testing. This testing looks for changes in the tumor's genes or other cell features. The results can help the care team understand the tumor and choose the best treatment.

If surgery is needed, Mayo Clinic neurosurgeons use advanced tools and techniques to remove as much of the tumor as safely possible while protecting important brain functions. These techniques may include computer-assisted brain surgery, intraoperative MRI, awake brain surgery, microsurgery, endoscopic surgery and laser surgery.

For some pituitary tumors, surgeons may use endoscopic transnasal transsphenoidal surgery. This approach reaches the pituitary area through the nose and sinuses. For some vestibular schwannomas, surgery may be planned with the goal of preserving hearing when possible.

Radiation therapy or radiosurgery may be used when surgery is not possible, when part of a tumor remains after surgery or when a tumor comes back. Mayo Clinic offers stereotactic radiosurgery, including Gamma Knife radiosurgery, and other advanced radiation options. In some situations, proton beam therapy may be considered.

Pediatric expertise

Children with benign brain tumors receive care from pediatric specialists who understand how brain tumors and treatment may affect growth, development, learning and quality of life. A child's care team may include pediatric neurologists, pediatric neurosurgeons, pediatric neuro-oncologists, radiation oncologists, rehabilitation specialists and other experts.

The care team works with families to create a treatment plan that fits the child's diagnosis and long-term needs.

Comprehensive, holistic care

For a benign brain tumor, success is not only about treating the tumor. It also is about protecting how you live. A benign brain tumor can affect vision, hearing, balance, movement, speech, thinking, memory, hormone function or quality of life. Mayo Clinic specialists work with you to manage symptoms before, during and after treatment.

Supportive care may include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, balance therapy, hearing support, vision support, hormone treatment, pain management or school support for children. The goal is to protect function, support recovery and help you return to daily activities as much as possible.

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