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Albert Lodovici is back on his feet after having the ependymoma in his spine removed by UW Medicine neurosurgeon, Dr. Trent Tredway. Without specialized, delicate surgery, he could have lost important bodily functions or become paralyzed. Read Albert's Story >

Brain and Spinal Cord Cancers

Many people like yourself have been diagnosed with brain and spinal cord cancers. These cancers can often appear suddenly with little or no warning.

Neuro-oncology is the branch of medicine that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of brain and spinal cord cancers.

Our Mission

The mission of the neuro-oncology team is to provide the best possible patient-focused care and state-of-the-art treatment. We will help you understand your condition and your options for dealing with your cancer. We are dedicated to research so the best treatments are available to our patients. We have an active research team that works toward developing and identifying clinical research studies. This includes nation-wide industry-sponsored studies and those from the National Cancer Institute.

We Are a Team

Each week, our unique group of physicians, who are all part of UW Medicine and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, meet to discuss neuro-oncology cases and determine the best course of treatment for each patient. This broad team includes:

Medical neuro-oncologists
Surgical neuro-oncologists
Radiation oncologists
Neuropathologists
Neuroradiologists
Specialized registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.

Leading-edge Technology

Treatment is available for every type of tumor, including meningiomas, gliomas, vestibular schwannomas, central nervous system lymphomas, and metastatic cancers in the brain and spinal cord. State-of-the-art rehabilitation services are also available to patients at UW Medical Center and SCCA.

The Neuro-Oncology Team uses the latest technology to diagnose and treat brain and spinal cord tumors:

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
MRI Spectroscopy
MRI Perfusion Scans
Functional MRI
Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Intra-operative Computed Tomography (CT) Scanning
Leskell Gamma Knife
LINAC (Linear Accelerator) Radiosurgery
Clinical Research Studies

News

To hear SCCA's Dr. Alexander Spence speak about brain tumors, go to:Patient Power radio minute. (MP3 format)
To hear SCCA's Dr. Marc Chamberlain, listen to this: Patient Power radio special.

Appointments

If you are interested in scheduling an appointment with a member of the
neuro-oncology team, please call a patient service specialist at (206) 598-1934.

For information about participating in clinical research studies, call:
Lisa Mandell, RN (206) 616-8962 or
Sandra K. Johnston, PhD, RN (206) 288-6365

Children with brain and spinal cord cancers are seen and treated at Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center, an SCCA partner institution.

April 2008


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