Tumor Removal
The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) has a multidisciplinary team of doctors and nurses available to help brain tumor patients, utilizing state-of-the-art techniques and equipment for brain tumor diagnosis and treatment. Our program includes:
- Neurosurgeons
- Neuro-oncologists
- Neuro-radiologists
- Radiation therapists
- Neurologists
- Neuro-psychologists
- Neuropathologists
The Department is listed as a site in the Society of Neuro-Oncology’s “Neurooncology Centers of Excellence” in the forthcoming book: Brain Tumors: Finding the Ark. UIC Neurosurgeons perform 200-300 brain tumor procedures each year.
Symptoms of Brain Tumors
Symptoms of a brain tumor depend on the size and location of the tumor, as well as other factors. They may include:
- Headache
- Seizures
- Dizziness
- Weakness or numbness
- Vomiting
- Changes in speech, vision, hearing, or personality
- Feeling drowsy
- Problems with balance or coordination
Brain Tumor Treatment at UIC
Our team of expert neurosurgeons uses cutting-edge techniques to eradicate tumors where critical vessels and nerves enter and leave the head. Working with multiple specialties including Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) physicians and plastic surgeons, virtually all areas of the brain and skull base can be accessed. Unresectable tumors can be treated with high-precision stereotactic radiation.
The multidisciplinary teams at UIC ensure that patients receive the highest degree of specialized and comprehensive care available.
Brain Tumor Research
UIC has many world leaders at the forefront of neuro-oncology research.
The UIC neuro-epidemiology department is world-renowned and includes Dr. Bridget McCarthy and Dr. Faith Davis. Dr. Bridget McCarthy is the principal investigator for CBTRUS (Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States), which publishes the widely-cited compendium of brain tumor epidemiology. Dr. Faith Davis is a past principal investigator of CBTRUS and is currently a co-principal investigator for the Duke University SPORE (Specialized Program of Research Excellence) in Brain Cancer Grant which was awarded on September 1, 2004, for five years. She is studying the genetic/neuro carcinogenic risks and outcomes for brain tumors.
Our program gained significant recognition for enrolling the first patient in the international phase III study for recurrent glioblastoma multiforme, the NovoCure study, which uses a non-toxic and novel therapy of alternating electrical fields to treat patients with glioblastoma.