Click to view Emergency Department (A&E) waiting times
100 People
Number of people in A&E department
16:49 Hours
Average wait to be seen by a clinician
1:49 Hours
Average time in the department

Types of cancer and treatment

Brain Cancer

There are more than 130 different types of brain tumours. The type of tumour and the location of the brain THAT it develops in will influence how it affects each person and what the best type of management will be.                        

Not all brain tumours are malignant and some non-malignant brain tumours are treated under the oncology department using treatment such as radiotherapy.

New brain tumours are diagnosed in over 12,000 people in the UK each year. 

Diagnosis

Patients with a brain tumour often present to an emergency department with new neurological symptoms. They are given a provisional diagnosis of a brain tumour based on what has been found on a scan.

Some patients are referred in by their GP surgery to a neurology clinic following a presentation of a neurological symptoms such as poor co-ordination, or visual changes.

Some types of non-malignant brain tumours are found “incidentally” when someone has a scan of their brain for another reason such as a head injury. Sometimes these types of tumours do not need treatment and are monitored instead.

If it is thought that someone has a brain tumour that needs treatment they will be referred to the nearest neuro-surgical specialist team for their case to be reviewed.

Your First Appointment

If it is felt that someone should be assessed to have a biopsy or debulking of their brain tumour, their first appointment is likely to be at the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford in neuro-surgery. The neuro-surgical team will explain the benefits and possible complications of having a brain biopsy or debulking surgery.

If it is felt that someone needs assessment without having a biopsy then they may be initially seen in an oncology clinic. At this appointment possible oncology treatments such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy will be discussed.

Some people with incidentally found slow growing non-malignant brain tumours may have their appointments under neurology.

Multi-Disciplinary Team

It is the policy of the Multi-Disciplinary Team that all patients with a new diagnosis of brain cancer will be discussed at a multi-disciplinary team meeting. This ensures that each patient gets the benefit of several specialist opinions and that individualised treatment plans are formulated. At this meeting, the team will discuss individual treatment plans and follow-up arrangements to ensure that every patient with cancer receives the best possible care.