Head and neck tumors touching or even extending through the skull base require intervention by a multidisciplinary skull base surgeon, head and neck surgeon, neuroradiologist, and oncologist.
Head and neck tumors touching or even extending through the skull base require intervention by a multidisciplinary skull base surgeon, head and neck surgeon, neuroradiologist, and oncologist.
INTRODUCTIONKnow More Tumours that occur in the skull base have a specific cell structure, which makes them different from other types of cancers in the head and neck area. Cancer that starts in the neck or spinal area can spread to the skull base, but this is also very rare.
There are many types of skull base cancers due to the complex makeup of this part of the skull. The three main regions of the skull base, where common types of tumours occur are:
Posterior compartment of the skull base (posterior cranial fossa). The types of tumours that can occur in this region are :
Central compartment of the skull base (middle cranial fossa). This contains the pituitary gland. The types of tumours that can occur in this region are:
Anterior compartment of the skull base (anterior cranial fossa). This contains the eye sockets and sinuses:
RISK FACTORS Know More Risk factors for Skull Base Cancers include:
Only about 5 to 10 percent of all cancers are genetically inherited, or hereditary. It’s rare for a Skull Base Cancers to be genetically inherited. Talk to your doctor if several people in your family have been diagnosed with a Skull Base Cancers. Your doctor can recommend a genetic counselor for you.
Risk for most types of Skull Base Cancers increases with age.
Being exposed to certain chemicals, such as those you might find in a work environment, can increase your risk for brain cancer.
People who have been exposed to ionizing radiation have an increased risk of Skull Base Cancers. You can be exposed to ionizing radiation through high-radiation cancer therapies. You can also be exposed to radiation from nuclear fallout. The nuclear power plant incidents in Fukushima and Chernobyl are examples of how people can be exposed to ionizing radiation.
People with a history of childhood chicken pox have a decreased risk of getting Skull Base Cancers.
SIGN & SYMPTOMS Know More Symptoms of skull base tumors will vary depending on the type, location and size of the tumor. Symptoms may appear gradually over time as the tumor grows and put pressure on areas of the brain. If the skull base tumor involves the sinuses, you may experience problems with sense of smell and breathing. If the pituitary gland is involved, you may experience problems with hormones and vision.
Common symptoms of skull base tumors include :
DIAGNOSIS & TREATMENTS Know More Skull base tumor symptoms can often be confused for other conditions. If you continue to experience troubling symptoms, and other treatments don’t work, your doctor may order additional diagnostic tests to confirm or rule out the presence of a tumor.
A computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can help your doctors make a skull base tumor diagnosis by identifying the presence, size and location of a skull base tumor.
If your doctor finds a suspicious growth during your imaging test, a biopsy will likely be ordered. During this procedure, a small sample of cells will be collected on and around the growth to determine the tumor type. Once a pathologist studies the cells and diagnoses your tumor, you and your doctor will be able to create a tailored treatment plan that’s right for you.
Your doctor may order additional tests to determine how the tumor may be affecting your:
Skull base tumor treatment will depend on the type, location and size of the tumor, as well as how it’s impacting your life. Your doctor will discuss the best treatment plan for you, which may include:
These drugs attack cancer cells to kill them or stop them from duplicating.
Gamma Knife radiosurgery is a technique that precisely focuses and delivers a high dose of radiation to a target in the brain. As a non-surgical procedure, it does not involve an actual knife, but is called “radiosurgery” because of its precision.
With the Gamma Knife device, a finely focused, high dose of radiation is delivered from up to 192 individual radiation beams that are positioned to converge precisely on the tumor area. Since lower doses of radiation from multiple sources converge on a single location, normal tissue in the radiation path receives a minimal dose. This reduces the chance of radiation damage to healthy tissue. The size of the radiation beams can also be adjusted, so that a high radiation dose can be precisely accumulated within a tumor of almost any shape.
Using the latest version called the Icon Gamma Knife, single or multiple session treatments can be delivered. The single session technique requires precise positioning, and is performed with the aid of a device that stabilizes the patient’s head in a certain position. This device is called a stereotactic head frame, and is combined with imaging scans (like CT or MRI) to identify the tumor’s exact location and precisely focus the gamma radiation beams to converge on it.
Minimally invasive brain surgery also called as endoscopic brain surgery is a type of neurosurgical technique which is safer and more effective than conventional surgery for patients with life-threatening conditions. Today using the advanced medical technology for even complex brain surgeries can be carried out in a minimally invasive manner. With the help of special devices and techniques, our neurosurgeons can, perform many procedures through a small incision. Minimally invasive surgery minimizes damage to normal brain tissue and it is much safer than the traditional open surgery.
The method of minimally invasive surgery depends on the size, location and type of the tumour. In some cases only a tiny incision around half an inch of diameter is used to reach the tumor however for some surgical approaches there is even no incision required. Patients who are diagnosed with pituitary adenoma, intraventricular tumor, meningioma, glioma, chordoma, skull base tumor, trigeminal nerve decompression, aneurysm (some clipping procedures) can be operated in a minimally invasive manner.