Brain Tumor

World-Class Cancer Treatment. Right here in OC.

Hoag is the top choice for cancer care in Orange County, with cancer survival rates that continually exceed national averages. Our dedicated, world-class teams are wholly focused on helping you survive cancer, heal and move forward with your life.

At Hoag, you can trust you’re in expert hands. Our doctors use the most advanced techniques, guided by the latest clinical research, to ensure you receive the highest level of care possible.

As Orange County’s top choice for cancer care, Hoag has deep expertise in treating challenging brain tumors, including gioblastoma, astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma, neningioma, ependymoma, medulloblastoma, germ cell tumors and other brain metastases and rare tumors. Our specialists have deep experience diagnosing and treating brain tumors, using groundbreaking techniques and the latest research to improve outcomes and save lives.

Using a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach, your medical team includes neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists, neuro oncologists, neuroimaging specialists, pathologists, nurse navigators and other support specialists working together as an integrated team. This group of experts regularly holds a brain tumor-specific conference to discuss diagnosis, treatment and management of your individual care.

Your physician will likely start by discussing your symptoms and your personal and family health history, followed by a thorough physical exam. If your doctor finds cause for concern, you will be referred to a specialist in conditions of the nervous system and brain. Depending on the outcome of that visit, you may be asked to complete certain tests or procedures. At Hoag, these may include:

• Computed tomography (CT) scans

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans

• Positron emission tomography (PET) scans

If these imaging tests find evidence of a brain tumor, your doctor may recommend a biopsy to determine the type of tumor and other factors. A stereotactic biopsy is performed by inserting a hollow needle through the skull and into the tumor to extract a small tissue sample, which is then tested in a lab.

Precision Medicine

Hoag’s Precision Medicine program combines genomics and genetics to develop targeted therapies, creating the highest degree of accuracy in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases. Using the latest advances in research, genomic technologies and targeted therapies, the program provides patients with the latest innovations in medicine. Learn more about Precision Medicine at Hoag.

Treatment Options for Brain Tumors

Treatment options for brain tumors depend on many different factors, including your age, overall health, how much the tumor has spread, where it is located in your brain and other considerations.

At Hoag, treatment options for brain tumors may include:

• Surgery, which is usually performed through an opening made in the skull called a craniotomy. Often, the surgeon will rely on detailed medical imaging scans to plan the surgery to minimize damage to healthy brain tissue, or advanced techniques like cortical mapping to help preserve more normal brain function. At Hoag, we utilize the only PET/MRI instrument in Orange County to precisely guide surgical intervention in the brain.

  • Precision Virtual Reality medical visualization platform by Surgical Theater

  • Hoag is also a leader in the use of Gamma Knife Radiosurgery (SRS) and conformal focused radiation therapy. Learn more about Hoag's Radiation Oncology program

  • Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT)

• Radiation therapy, which involves beaming radiation into the tumor to kill cancerous cells.

  • ViewRay MRIdian linear accelerator for stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)

• Drug therapy, including to help regulate the amount of hormones in the blood caused by tumors near the pituitary gland.

  • Chemotherapy, in which drugs that disrupt the growth of tumors are introduced into the blood, usually over a period of weeks or months.

• Advanced immunotherapy and biologics, use a patient’s own cells and immune system to find and destroy tumor cells.

  • Adoptive cell therapy (i.e. CAR-T cells) is a form of immunotherapy where immune cells are removed from a patient’s bloodstream, reprogrammed to attack a protein found in brain tumors and reintroduced to destroy cancer. CAR-T is showing huge potential for brain tumor treatment.

• Genomically-guided therapy uses a patient’s DNA to determine which mutations affect responses to a particular drug and are most likely to be effective.

• Oncolytic virotherapy is an emerging treatment that uses anticancer viruses to destroy cancerous tissues without causing harm to normal tissues.

• Alternating tumor treating fields are mild, electrical fields that pulse through a patient to disrupt a tumor’s ability to grow and spread. The fields are delivered through a device worn on a patient’s scalp. Studies have shown promise in survival rates without many of the side effects of traditional treatment.

Hoag is committed to leading the way in state-of-the-art technologies and advanced treatment options. Part of this commitment includes clinical research with the goal of helping patients live longer, healthier lives. Through carefully planned clinical trials, researchers evaluate the safety and effectiveness of new ways to diagnose, treat and prevent diseases or conditions. Treatments studied in clinical trials might be new drugs or new combinations of drugs, new surgical procedures or devices, or new ways to use existing treatments. View clinical trials for brain cancer here.

First, at Hoag you are not alone. A cancer diagnosis is the start of a significant journey for you, your family and caregivers and we are with you every step of the way. Hoag’s world-class expertise, leading-edge technology and the latest in diagnostic and treatment options for cancer are enhanced by our rich array of empowering resources and services to prepare, assist and comfort you before, during and after cancer treatment.

We encourage you and your family to join our virtual patient and family orientation class to learn more about Hoag Family Cancer Institute. The class provides information, support and will address questions to help you better prepare for your cancer journey.

Orientations are held the 4th Tuesday of each month from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. via ZOOM meeting.

Registration is easy, simply go to our orientation registration page and explore available dates. Once you find a date that works for you, select ‘register’ and fill out the information form. We encourage you to contact us along the way with any questions at (949) 722-6237.

Classes can be found here.

The supportive care and survivorship program at Hoag Family Cancer Institute provides care to enhance your quality of life throughout all stages of treatment and recovery. Our supportive care team provides a dedicated nurse navigator, expert pain and symptom management, tools for your mental and physical wellbeing, and so much more. Our goal is to address your changing needs and support you through your cancer treatment and beyond. Below is a full list of our services:

Navigating Life After Diagnosis

• Talking About Cancer

• Clinical Nurse Navigators

• Financial Navigation

• Nutrition Services

• Brighter Image Program

• Cancer & Fertility

• Smoking Cessation

• Lung Cancer Screening

• Pain & Symptom Management

Classes & Support Services

• Workshops for Well-Being

• Support Groups

• Counseling Services

• Spiritual Care Services

• Art For the Soul Program

When faced with a brain or spine tumor, you can trust you are with a top-ranked neurosurgical team at Hoag. Our neurosurgeons are leading experts in brain and spine conditions, with expertise in the latest minimally invasive techniques and groundbreaking technology.

The combined comprehensive resources available at the Hoag Family Cancer Institute and Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute deliver a best practice, integrated care setting, with access to the latest clinical trials, and your individual circumstances in mind.

Hoag’s Precision Medicine Program combines genomics and genetics to diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases. Using the latest advances in genomic technologies, targeted therapies and research, our precision medicine program brings together a multidisciplinary team, including a robust genetic counseling group of experts, to provide patients with the latest in innovation and technology.

Meet the Precision Medicine Team.

Being diagnosed with cancer can feel overwhelming at times. Many patients and their families need help with coping and can benefit from supportive counseling. Oncology Clinical Social Workers are available to provide emotional and practical support during all stages of cancer including diagnosis, treatment and post-treatment survivorship.

Find out more and meet our team.

Hoag Family Cancer Institute dietitians work closely with patients’ physicians, nurses, therapists, and social workers to ensure complete care.

Find out more and meet our team.