Determining skull base tumor treatment, it is necessary that the physician team (link to our physician team page) has extensive training and experience dealing with this potentially complex and rare pathology.
Non-operative and minimally invasive (Gamma Knife and endoscopic) approaches are often the main choice depending on the size of the tumors. Radiation therapy such as Gamma Knife, chemotherapy or a combination of therapy can be used. For many tumors, Gamma Knife treatment offers alternative to conventional surgery or can be used in conjunction to surgery for the best outcome.
Types of skull base tumor:
– Meningiomas
– Acoustic neuromas
– Chordomas
– Chondrosarcomas
– Craniopharyngiomas
– Brainstem gliomas
– Metastases
Skull base tumor symptoms and diagnosis
A lot of people do not have the symptoms until the tumors become large, when they do appear the symptoms vary based on the size and location. Symptoms include:
– Facial pain
– Headaches
– Chronic sinusitis
– Shortness of breath
– Hoarseness
– Hearing loss or ringing in the ears
– Vision problems
CT scans, MRI and biopsy can be used to diagnose skull base tumors.
