CK Birla Hospitals, CMRI celebrated World Brain Tumour Day with a press conference led by Dr. Amitabha Chanda, Director of Neurosurgery, which brought together medical professionals and patients who had undergone brain tumor surgery at the facility. The event looked at how neurosurgical practice has evolved over the last thirty years and what that means for patients who are diagnosed with brain tumors today.

The wider course of brain tumor treatment was also discussed during the press conference. Precision medicine, which uses a tumor’s genetic and molecular properties to inform treatment choices, is expanding from specialized facilities into more general clinical practice.

Dr Amitabha Chanda, Director of Neurosurgery, CK Birla Hospitals, CMRI, said, “Over the past ten years, there has been a significant shift in brain tumor surgery, which is most evident in the results. We can now map important brain functions before we go into the operating room, thanks to imaging technology. The surgical approach is guided in real time by neuronavigation systems. If a critical pathway is in danger, intraoperative monitoring promptly notifies the team. With previously unattainable clarity, fluorescence-guided surgery aids in the separation of tumor tissue from healthy tissue. We can monitor and maintain function while removing as much tumor as possible with an awake craniotomy, in which the patient is conscious throughout certain parts of the procedure. Each of these has lowered the risk profile of procedures that were previously either not tried at all or approached with significant hesitation”.

 “On World Brain Tumor Day, our focus is not only on clinical excellence but also on awareness and empathy. Treatment and recovery can be significantly altered by prompt diagnosis and early consultation. To emphasize the value of early intervention and multidisciplinary care, the hospital places a strong emphasis on patient experience sharing sessions, in which patients and caregivers discuss their journey of diagnosis, treatment, and recovery,” said Dr. Sombrata Roy, Unit Head, CK Birla Hospitals, CMRI.

The management of individual cases is starting to change as a result of the application of artificial intelligence to tumor characterization, surgical planning, and outcome prediction. Recovery times and surgical trauma have been greatly decreased by the availability of minimally invasive techniques, such as endoscopic methods that make it possible to access some tumors through the nasal passages without making an external incision.

The disparity between what is currently clinically feasible and what patients and their families are aware of upon receiving a diagnosis is highlighted on World Brain Tumour Day. Treatment options are still primarily determined by timely neurological evaluation and awareness of early warning signs, such as persistent headaches, unexplained visual disturbances, seizures, memory changes, or progressive weakness.

Priyanka Dutta