Neuro-oncology refers to the treatment of patients with primary brain tumours and patients with neurologic complications, which may arise from systemic cancers or through the treatment process taken.

For patients with primary brain tumours, treatment is tailored to the patient’s condition and the type of tumour. For benign tumours, total removal is curative and carried out by the surgical oncology team. For malignant tumours, surgery usually has to be followed by radiation therapy or chemotherapy. A patient may require surgery, radiation therapy or chemotherapy or a combination of these modalities. Hence, patients frequently have to be seen by doctors from different specialties.

The neurosurgical and neuro-oncology clinics managed by the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) offer a multidisciplinary approach in the treatment for brain tumour patients. Surgical services, radiation therapy (including Gamma Knife radiation) and chemotherapy services are available at the campuses of NNI, namely NNI-Tan Tock Seng Hospital and NNI-Singapore General Hospital. They provide a wide range of treatment options and expertise required by each patient. A brain tumour support group is also available for patients and their caregivers.