Brain tumor care
A national leader in brain tumor care
When you or your loved one are facing a brain tumor diagnosis, at any stage, you deserve the most experienced clinicians and the most advanced care available.
Penn Medicine’s Brain Tumor Center is a recognized leader in the treatment of benign (non-cancerous), malignant, and metastatic brain tumors. Our specialists are committed to providing hope and peace of mind through clinical innovation. With locations throughout Greater Philadelphia, Lancaster, and New Jersey, you can receive the care you need close to home while still having access to the latest treatment options. We offer:
- The most advanced treatments such as Gamma Knife, and Proton Therapy
- A skilled and experienced surgical team that performs thousands of procedures every year
- A board of nationally renowned specialists who personally review your case
- A dedicated nurse navigator to guide you through the treatment process
- Precision-focused treatment that helps minimize side-effects and recovery time
- The latest testing tools for the most accurate diagnosis
Our clinicians work together to explore all treatments, from established therapies to the most innovative options not widely available. We understand that this is a life-changing decision, and we’re here to give you access to leading-edge care because your brain deserves the best.
The Penn Medicine Tumor Board
The Penn Medicine Tumor Board is a weekly meeting of leading specialists from the fields of neurology, neurosurgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, neuropathology, neuroradiology, rehabilitation medicine, neuro-psychiatry, nursing, and social work. Together, they review complex cases and work to recommend the best treatment options.
The Penn Medicine difference in brain tumor treatment
Penn Medicine’s neurosurgeons are nationally recognized and perform thousands of brain tumor procedures each year. Our approach is based on the philosophy of performing tumor surgery, not brain surgery. This means we use the latest, most precise techniques to diagnose and treat brain tumors while doing whatever we can to leave surrounding tissue intact.
As an academic medical center, our patients have access to the latest treatments not widely available or therapies still in clinical trial. Our specialists may recommend innovative treatment options including TumorGlow ™ a technology that illuminates tumors during surgery to help your surgeon identify where healthy tissue ends and the tumor begins, CAR-T immunotherapy which uses the body’s own immune system to fight cancer cells, and proton therapy, one of the most accurate and powerful forms of radiation therapy.
Patients have access to expert, compassionate care from our neuro-oncologists, who are experts in providing advanced treatment for cancers affecting the brain. Our radiation oncology program offers the latest technology and treatment options, all of which are delivered by doctors who are leaders in their field.
Today’s research leads to tomorrow’s remission
Penn Medicine’s ongoing clinical trials are paving the way for new vaccine therapies, medications, and other treatments. Through these programs, our researchers and providers are always learning about brain tumors and the newest techniques for treating them. As an academic medical center, we use these insights to give patients access to innovative therapies for tumors that are currently considered incurable.
Tumors we treat
Reimagining what’s possible in brain tumor care
Penn Brain Tumor Center is changing the limits of what’s considered “inevitable” and is driven by a desire to create new and better treatments. Patients are given care plans that explore both traditional and newer treatment approaches, many of which are being developed by Penn Medicine’s own clinicians and researchers. This approach has enabled us to make significant advances in brain tumor treatment while offering the best outcomes and highest quality of life.
Bringing hope and enhancing care through partnership
The brain tumor specialists at Penn Medicine work closely with leading national organizations such as the American Brain Tumor Association, National Brain Tumor Society, and National Cancer Institute. These partnerships help ensure our providers stay up to date on the latest treatments and therapies, while lending their expertise to the ongoing clinical research of brain tumor diagnosis and treatment.
Through collaboration with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Penn Medicine has created an extensive collection of blood, DNA, tissue, and health information samples donated by volunteers for research. This information is vital for improving clinical research, growing our knowledge of brain tumor genomics, and translating findings to improvements in personalized medicine.
The Penn Medicine Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) Translational Center of Excellence is a national center for personalized brain tumor therapy and is advancing the standard of care for GBM patients. The Penn Medicine team is an international leader in researching and treating glioblastoma. Through a collaborative partnership, the Penn Brain Tumor Center can utilize the advanced technologies needed to increase survival rates and maximize brain function recovery following treatment.
Rated “exceptional” by The National Cancer Institute
Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center is a world leader in cancer research, patient care, and education. Our status as a national leader in cancer care is reflected in our continuous designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) since 1973, one of 7 such centers in the United States. The ACC is also a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, one of a select few cancer centers in the U.S., that are working to promote equitable access to high-quality, advanced cancer care.
Our doctors
Our providers work with you to plan and deliver exceptional treatment and personalized care.
Locations
Our hospitals, multispecialty medical centers, pharmacies, labs and more offer outstanding, personalized care for patients all across the region.
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Patient stories
Real-time tumor assessment brings relief
“Hearing my results right away and walking away from an appointment with a game plan lets me enjoy my life between scans,” said Lynn Oxenberg.
Before launching a new CNN show, journalist Kasie Hunt had a brain tumor removed
“There’s nowhere in the world I would rather have this done than at Penn.”
How discoveries become cures, in a virtuous cycle
Public investments in biomedical research have an outsized effect, driving new scientific insights, economic growth, and ultimately treatments and cures.
How future cures begin as ideas in laboratories
The successes of CAR T research show the importance of the cycle of science—sparking new ideas and clinical trials that give patients better options.
An unexpected diagnosis and a surreal surgery
“No one ever wants to go through this, but having this support system in place for my own journey has helped me to feel like I’m in the best hands at every turn.”
Former news anchor recounts brain surgery at Penn Medicine
“I was a Penn Medicine brain surgery patient. I am also a woman thriving now with a healthy brain.”
How a brain tumor helped cyclist Chris Baccash change his life
It would have been understandable for the Doylestown, PA, native to feel despondent about the road ahead. But he had a different reaction to the news.