Patients who have been diagnosed with a brain tumor receive options, opinions and answers in just one visit to Saint Mary’s Brain Tumor Center. Here, patients receive concurrent input and care from radiation oncologists and neurosurgeons.
“The Brain Tumor Center was designed to provide patients with a comprehensive, multi-specialty opportunity for evaluation and management of tumors involving the brain,” says neurosurgeon Hilari Fleming, MD, Ph.D.
Together, neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists evaluate each patient, which involves a physical exam, a close look at the patient’s history and a detailed review of the diagnostic images. “We then are able to talk to the patient about surgical options, radiation therapy options and radiosurgery options that would be available to treat various types of brain tumors,” Dr. Fleming says. “Our patients get to hear these options with both the radiation oncologist and the neurosurgeon present, so we are able to answer their questions more thoroughly than either specialist alone.” According to Dr. Fleming, Saint Mary’s Brain Tumor Center is unique to this community, because of the ongoing collaboration between neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists when it comes to treating brain tumors.
“To be able to, with one visit, give patients multiple options and access to different perspectives is unique,” Dr. Fleming says. “We have patients who come a long way, and to be able to avoid having to make multiple trips for the same information is a huge benefit.” This collaborative approach for patients has proven successful at reaching positive outcomes.