What is a typical brain tumor surgery?
There are two main purposes for surgery in patients with brain tumors. The first is to obtain tissue to make a diagnosis. In some cases, tumors can be treated with minimal amounts of surgery. The second goal is to allow the surgeon access to the tumor to attempt total removal. In some cases, this cannot be achieved but reducing the total volume of the tumor will assist with radiation treatments or chemotherapy in treating the tumor. From a technical standpoint, a brain tumor removal operation is called a craniotomy.
