Unique Encounters in the 'No Man's Land' in the Brain

Dr V R Roopesh Kumar, Director of Neurosurgery, MGM Healthcare in Chennai has achieved great success in managing complex brain and spine tumours, including minimally invasive cranial surgeries and cerebrovascular surgeries

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Q Please tell us something about your area of specialty and why you chose it.

Neuro-Oncology as a specialty is quite a challenge in itself and every case is unique, and every treatment has to be customized for individuals.

There are roughly around 120 different types of brain tumours and can occur in any age group. Unlike other tumours which can spread to other parts of the body, brain tumours don't, but they spread within the brain and spinal cord. Hence, we don't talk about 'staging' like in other tumours; what is important in brain tumours is the 'grade' (1 to 4), based on how quickly the tumour cells can multiply.

There are some locations in the brain called 'no man's land' - the brain stem, thalamus, and hypothalamus and 'eloquent areas, which control important functions of the body such as the movement of the hands and legs, speech and understanding, heart and breathing, the fluid balance, arousal etc. It's very challenging for neurosurgeons to handle tumours in these locations.