Different types of treatment are available for patients with brain and nervous system cancer; they depend on various factors including the type of cancer and the stage at which it has been diagnosed. Generally the treatment for nervous system cancer is surgery unless the tumor is in inaccessible or delicate area, such as in speech, vision or motor control area. Some tumors are so aggressive that they also need radiation therapy.

• Surgery is the most common treatment for a brain tumor and consist in opening the skull (craniotomy) to remove the tumor. Both tumors and surgery can damage normal brain tissue. 
• Radiotherapy may be given after surgery to treat tumor that could not be completely removed. It may also be used when surgery is not possible or for tumors that have come back after surgery or chemotherapy. Radiotherapy is the use of high-energy radiation from x-rays, gamma rays, neutrons, protons, and other sources to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external-beam radiation therapy), or it may come from radioactive material placed in the body near cancer cells (internal radiation therapy). Systemic radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance, such as a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody, that travels in the blood to tissues throughout the body. This procedure is also called irradiation or radiation therapy.
• Chemotherapy may be given after surgery or with radiation therapy. Chemotherapy drugs administer by pills or by injection, slow or even stop the cancer cells from growing, multiplying or spreading to other part of the body. Chemotherapy is a powerful treatment affecting the whole body, so healthy cells can also be damaged. This damage to healthy cells causes side effects. The damage is mostly temporary and the healthy cells will repair themselves.
• Targeted therapy is a type of treatment that uses drugs or other substances, such as monoclonal antibodies, to identify and attack specific cancer cells. Targeted therapy may have fewer side effects than other types of cancer treatments.
• Hormone therapy is a treatment that adds, blocks, or removes hormones. For certain conditions (such as diabetes or menopause), hormones are given to adjust low hormone levels. To slow or stop the growth of certain cancers (such as prostate and breast cancer), synthetic hormones or other drugs may be given to block the body’s natural hormones. Sometimes surgery is needed to remove the gland that makes a certain hormone. Also called endocrine therapy, hormonal therapy, and hormone treatment.

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