Surgery is the most common treatment of adult brain tumors. To take the cancer out of the brain, the doctor will first cut a part of the bone from the skull to get to the brain. This operation is called a craniotomy. After the doctor removes the cancer, the bone will be put back or a piece of metal or fabric will be used to cover the opening of the skull. It is a local therapy that only affects cancer cells in the treated area.
Radiation given to the brain is called cranial irradiation.
Chemotherapy - treatment with drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment, meaning that the drugs flow through the bloodstream to nearly every part of the body to kill cancerous cells. Treatment Side Effects Side effects can occur with cancer treatments because the treatment often damages healthy cells along with the cancer cells. Although patients are often uncomfortable during the first few days after surgery, this pain can usually be controlled with medicine. The recovery period after an operation varies from patient to patient.