treating tumors Archives - Amazing Health Advances

5 Things to Know About Acoustic Neuroma Surgery

The AHA! Team — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 08:33:14 +0000

Duke Health – Acoustic neuromas (also known as vestibular schwannomas) are a noncancerous type of skull base tumor, which grow just below the brain. Acoustic neuromas (also known as vestibular schwannomas) are a noncancerous type of skull base tumor, which grow just below the brain. More specifically, acoustic neuromas form on the vestibulocochlear nerve that controls balance and hearing. While removing these tumors can completely cure symptoms, their location is highly sensitive and requires an expert surgical approach. Here, Duke Health specialists discuss what you should expect if you need acoustic neuroma surgery. 1. Acoustic Neuroma Surgery Can Be Risky Removing acoustic neuromas is challenging because of their location. “The nerves that help move the eyes, the nerves that allow you to feel your face, move your face, chew food, taste food, hear — all of those are packed into a very small space at the base of the skull” said Duke neurosurgeon Ali Zomorodi, MD. “To treat a tumor in this area, you need to be able to work very delicately and precisely around some very sensitive neurological and vascular structures.” 2. When to Choose Acoustic Neuroma Surgery While you may be eager to be rid of your acoustic neuroma, your age, the tumor’s size and location, as well as the severity of your symptoms will help determine whether surgery is your best option. You may be better off waiting and watching. 3. There Are Three Main Approaches to Acoustic Neuroma Surgery There are three main approaches to surgically removing acoustic neuromas that grow within the skull base (doctors call this lateral skull base tumor surgery). The surgical approach that is recommended for you will depend on the size of your tumor, its location within the skull base, and the status of your hearing. The middle fossa approach accesses the tumor from above the ear. This option is best for smaller tumors, and it is used to try to preserve hearing. The retrosigmoid approach accesses the tumor from behind the ear. This option can be used for tumors of any size, and it may also help preserve hearing. The translabyrinthine approach accesses the tumor through the temporal bone behind the ear. It is considered when tumors are very large or when significant hearing loss has already occurred because it leaves little or no chance of hearing preservation. 4. What to Expect Before, During, and After Acoustic Neuroma Surgery Before surgery, your first stop is a pre-operative check where your vitals will be monitored. You’ll also speak with an anesthesiologist and your surgeon. Assuming everything looks good, you’ll be transferred to the operating room. The surgery usually lasts between six and eight hours. Your Duke Health surgical team will include a neurosurgeon and a neurotologist, which is a specialized ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeon who treats complex ear and hearing issues and neurological-related inner ear concerns. The role of the neurotologist is to surgically expose the tumor and assist in its removal, according to Duke’s Calhoun Cunningham, MD. The neurosurgeon’s role is to remove the tumor, dissecting it “away from important nerve structures as well as from the brain itself,” Dr. Cunningham said. Finally, the ENT surgeon/neurotologist closes everything back up. After surgery, you’ll recover in a special neurosurgery intensive care unit (ICU) before moving to a step-down unit, usually the next day. Most people return home after about five days in the hospital, but full recovery takes up to eight weeks. 5. Choosing a Hospital for Acoustic Neuroma Surgery If you need acoustic neuroma surgery, keep these considerations in mind, said Drs. Zomorodi and Cunningham. Find a center that routinely performs complex skull base tumor surgery. Also, look for a specialized team approach to care, meaning you’ll have access to an ENT, a neurosurgeon, and other specialists, including radiation oncologists, neuroradiologists, audiologists, physical therapists, and speech pathologists. “If we do everything we can and do a great job, the patient can be healed,” said Dr. Zomorodi. “They don’t have to worry about this tumor anymore. They can carry on with their lives, and this will become a distant memory. Our goal is to minimize the impact that the tumor and its treatment will have on their quality of life.” To read the original article click here.

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What You Need to Know About Pituitary Tumors

The AHA! Team — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 06:33:20 +0000

Morgan deBlecourt via Duke Health – Pituitary tumors are abnormal growths in the pituitary gland, a pea-sized organ at the base of the brain that regulates hormones. Fortunately, these tumors are usually treatable and non-cancerous. Duke Health neurosurgeon Jordan Komisarow, MD, is part of a team of doctors who specialize in diagnosing and treating pituitary tumors. Here he answers frequently asked questions to help you decide where you should seek care. How serious is a pituitary tumor? Pituitary tumors are slow-growing and rarely life-threatening. According to Dr. Komisarow, many people find out they have a pituitary tumor accidentally, after undergoing an imaging scan for an unrelated problem. They often have no symptoms. On the other hand, pituitary tumors that are large can affect your vision. A subset of tumors produce harmful hormones and can significantly impact your quality of life. Regardless, all pituitary tumors should be managed by an experienced team of specialists to avoid serious complications. How can a pituitary tumor affect the rest of my body? Since the pituitary gland produces hormones, a pituitary tumor can affect any body system that involves hormones, including growth, metabolism, and reproduction. Symptoms can vary widely from fatigue to weight gain, infertility, sexual dysfunction, breast discharge, uncontrolled diabetes and blood pressure, and more. Large pituitary tumors can crowd nearby brain structures like the optic nerves, which can cause symptoms such as vision loss. What are the most common treatments for a pituitary tumor? If your pituitary tumor is low-risk and causing few or no symptoms, your best option may be to monitor the tumor with regular imaging and hormone testing, said Dr. Komisarow. Medications can help treat hormone imbalances. Surgery to remove the tumor is usually reserved for people experiencing significant symptoms or complications related to the tumor. What doctors treat pituitary tumors? Many types of doctors treat pituitary tumors since they can affect so many body functions. Even if you’re not a candidate for surgery, a neurosurgeon often serves as the point person for pituitary tumor care. Endocrinologists manage hormones and treat any resulting pituitary disorders. Neuro-ophthalmologists, eye doctors who specialize in treating vision problems caused by neurological conditions, treat vision loss. Other specialists who may be involved in your care include ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctors, radiation oncologists, and plastic surgeons. Where should I go for pituitary tumor treatment? Dr. Komisarow recommends seeking treatment at a center like Duke, which offers an all-in-one pituitary clinic. This means you’ll see a neurosurgeon, endocrinologist, and neuro-ophthalmologist, all in one day and in one location. They offer comprehensive testing, review your test results, and discuss next steps. “You want to find doctors who specialize in treating pituitary tumors, meaning it’s not just a component of their practice, but it’s the center of their practice,” Dr. Komosarow said. “Especially if you need surgery, our team at Duke has the experience and technology to safely care for people that other institutions turn away due to risk of anesthesia or nerve damage. We want to help every patient we can.” To read the original article click here.

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Groundbreaking Study Optimizes Patient’s Own Immune System to Fight Tumors

AHA Publisher — Mon, 17 May 2021 07:26:30 +0000

University of Minnesota via News-Medical – A groundbreaking study led by engineering and medical researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities shows how engineered immune cells used in new cancer therapies can overcome physical barriers to allow a patient’s own immune system to fight tumors. The research could improve cancer therapies in the future for millions of people worldwide. The research is published in Nature Communications, a peer-reviewed, open access, scientific journal published by Nature Research. Instead of using chemicals or radiation, immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that helps the patient’s immune system fight cancer. T cells are a type of white blood cell that are of key importance to the immune system. Cytotoxic T cells are like soldiers who search out and destroy the targeted invader cells. While there has been success in using immunotherapy for some types of cancer in the blood or blood-producing organs, a T cell’s job is much more difficult in solid tumors. “The tumor is sort of like an obstacle course, and the T cell has to run the gauntlet to reach the cancer cells. These T cells get into tumors, but they just can’t move around well, and they can’t go where they need to go before they run out of gas and are exhausted.” Paolo Provenzano, senior author of the study and biomedical engineering associate professor in the University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering In this first-of-its-kind study, the researchers are working to engineer the T cells and develop engineering design criteria to mechanically optimize the cells or make them more “fit” to overcome the barriers. If these immune cells can recognize and get to the cancer cells, then they can destroy the tumor. In a fibrous mass of a tumor, the stiffness of the tumor causes immune cells to slow down about two-fold–almost like they are running in quicksand. “This study is our first publication where we have identified some structural and signaling elements where we can tune these T cells to make them more effective cancer fighters,” said Provenzano, a researcher in the University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center. “Every ‘obstacle course’ within a tumor is slightly different, but there are some similarities. After engineering these immune cells, we found that they moved through the tumor almost twice as fast no matter what obstacles were in their way.” To engineer cytotoxic T cells, the authors used advanced gene editing technologies (also called genome editing) to change the DNA of the T cells so they are better able to overcome the tumor’s barriers. The ultimate goal is to slow down the cancer cells and speed up the engineered immune cells. The researchers are working to create cells that are good at overcoming different kinds of barriers. When these cells are mixed together, the goal is for groups of immune cells to overcome all the different types of barriers to reach the cancer cells. Provenzano said the next steps are to continue studying the mechanical properties of the cells to better understand how the immune cells and cancer cells interact. The researchers are currently studying engineered immune cells in rodents and in the future are planning clinical trials in humans. While initial research has been focused on pancreatic cancer, Provenzano said the techniques they are developing could be used on many types of cancers. “Using a cell engineering approach to fight cancer is a relatively new field,” Provenzano said. “It allows for a very personalized approach with applications for a wide array of cancers. We feel we are expanding a new line of research to look at how our own bodies can fight cancer. This could have a big impact in the future.” In addition to Provenzano, the study’s authors included current and former University of Minnesota Department of Biomedical Engineering researchers Erdem D. Tabdanov (co-author), Nelson J. Rodríguez-Merced (co-author), Vikram V. Puram, Mackenzie K. Callaway, and Ethan A. Ensminger; University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center and Medical School Department of Pediatrics researchers Emily J. Pomeroy, Kenta Yamamoto, Walker S. Lahr, Beau R. Webber, Branden S. Moriarity; National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering researcher Alexander X. Cartagena-Rivera; and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute researcher Alexander S. Zhovmer, who is now at the Center for Biologic Evaluation and Research. The research was funded primarily by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and University of Minnesota Physical Sciences in Oncology Center, which receives funding from NIH’s National Cancer Institute. Additional funding was provided by the American Cancer Society and the Randy Shaver Research and Community Fund. The University of Minnesota Imaging Center provided additional staff expertise. Some of the researchers also are part of the University of Minnesota Center for Genome Engineering and the University’s Institute for Engineering in Medicine. To read the original article click here.

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