Inspiring Patient Stories & Important News

  • glioblastoma survivor

Hope is Everything

Diagnosed with a glioblastoma, Dana D. is fighting brain cancer by surrounding herself with positivity and specialized medical care.

  • Skull Base Brain Tumors

The Basics of Skull Base Brain Tumors

Fabio Frisoli, MD, Director of Skull Base Neurosurgery at the Gerald J. Glasser Brain Tumor Center, shares what patients and caregivers need to know.

“SURVIVE” Phase 2B

The Glasser Brain Tumor Center is active in many clinical trials in our ongoing quest to enhance our patients’ lives. While all of the trials are inspiring, one of the most exciting is “SURVIVE” Phase 2B. We are the only site in New Jersey and one of the first three in the nation to participate in this trial for a potentially game-changing brain cancer vaccine.

Next-Generation Sequencing: The Key to Next-Level Brain Tumor Treatment

Next-generation sequencing – similar to a search engine that combs through thousands of genes to find abnormalities in the single one that causes a patient’s cancer – is revolutionizing brain cancer care. An intimate understanding of a tumor’s mutations, or lack thereof, means more personalized and effective treatment plans.

  • glioma

Living with Brian Cancer: Attitude is Everything

At 43, Lindsay Vieira was diagnosed with an anaplastic oligodendroglioma, a rare type of cancerous brain tumor. The Glasser Brain Tumor Center team used stereotactic imaging and GPS-like technology – along with electrical stimulation brain mapping – to remove her entire tumor and keep all of her neurological functions intact.

  • Brain Tumor Surgery

Technology That Is Transforming Brain Surgery

When Lisa Vidal was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, she did something novel among most brain tumor patients. She drank a pink liquid that made her tumor glow, empowering our neurosurgeons to safely remove her tumor with pinpoint accuracy.

  • Optune Device

Tumor Treating Fields Noninvasively Destroy Cancer Cells

Tumor treating fields – electric fields that disrupt the electrical charge in the protein that causes cancer cell division – are revolutionizing the treatment of glioblastomas. Neuro-oncologist Nicholas Metrus, MD, describes a new wearable, portable, FDA-approved treatment that creates TTF, interfering with dividing tumor cells and causing them to die.

Zeroing in on Druggable Targets for Metastatic Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer to metastasize to the brain. Thankfully, targeted therapies are driving major advances in treatment and improving life expectancy from a number of months to a number of years. Oncologist and director of the Breast Cancer Treatment and Prevention Program at Overlook Medical Center Bonni Lee Guerin, MD, shares the latest.

The Impact of Immuno-Oncology on Melanoma Brain Metastases

New immuno-oncology drugs have drastically improved survival rates for patients with metastatic melanoma. This includes combination immunotherapy drugs that yield a 50% response rate for patients with melanoma brain metastases, which is why immuno-oncology treatment is typically the best first course of action.

  • cyberknife

Stereotactic Radiosurgery Is on the Rise: Why a Growing Population of Patients with Brain Metastases Are Candidates for CyberKnife®

CyberKnife has completely changed the way metastatic brain tumors are treated by administering radiation only where it’s needed – and not where it’s not. Not only is CyberKnife a highly effective therapy for the treatment of brain metastases, its precision spares healthy brain tissue from radiation exposure and the neurocognitive damage it can cause.

  • Metastatic Brain Cancer

Beating Metastatic Brain Cancer with Surgery and CyberKnife

“You are disease-free in the brain.” Hearing these words nearly a year after discovering kidney cancer had spread to his brain brought 56-year-old Edward Battaglia to tears. This triumph was his latest victory in a cancer journey that spans more than a decade.

  • glioma

Fluorescent imaging is Lighting the Way

The Gerald J. Glasser Brain Tumor Center is one of the first providers in New Jersey to harness the power of fluorescent imaging to treat brain tumors.