Center for Tumors of the Nervous System (CTNS)

Specialized expertise by tumor type

Almost any type of cancer — including cancers of the breast, colon, kidneys, lungs, and skin — can spread to the brain, spinal cord, or the membranes protecting them (leptomeninges). Treating brain metastases (mets), spinal mets, or leptomeningeal disease requires a deep level of expertise and access to advanced treatments.

CTNS is home to the nation’s first multidisciplinary brain metastasis tumor board. Specialists from across Mass General Brigham meet weekly to discuss new and complex cases. We customize treatments for each patient’s unique tumor type, genetic profile, and needs.

Your personalized treatment plan may include:

• Neurosurgery, including minimally invasive microsurgical resections and laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT)
• Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) to precisely deliver high doses of radiation to tumors
• Systemic therapies, such as targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy, in coordination with your primary cancer team
• Clinical trial opportunities, including novel radiation-based approaches and innovative genomically driven (tumor DNA) studies

Our specialists care for patients with primary CNS lymphoma, secondary CNS lymphoma, and neurologic complications caused by treatments for systemic lymphoma. Care is coordinated across hematology, neuro-oncology, neurosurgery, radiation oncology, neuroradiology, and neuropathology.

Patients benefit from:

• Comprehensive testing, including specialized blood tests, neurologic assessments, advanced functional MRI (fMRI), molecular profiling, and cerebrospinal fluid cytology
• Latest treatments, including chemotherapy, targeted therapy, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, stem cell transplantation, CNS-directed therapy, and stereotactic radiosurgery

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and diffuse glioma are the most common and aggressive primary brain tumors in adults. Our high-grade glioma team treats a large number of patients each year and reviews each case through a dedicated tumor board.

Distinctive capabilities include:

• Advanced neurosurgeries, including awake craniotomy, fluorescence-guided maximal safe resections, and the use of intraoperative MRI technology
• Individualized radiation therapy plans that may include intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), proton therapy, and stereotactic radiosurgery
• Novel immunotherapies and cellular therapies, including molecular-guided drug options, oncolytic viruses, and CAR T-cell therapy

Our pituitary and sellar tumor specialists care for patients with Cushing’s disease, acromegaly, prolactinomas, nonfunctioning pituitary tumors, hypothalamic disorders, and other tumors near the pituitary gland.

Our services include:

• Advanced testing, including complex endocrine testing in our testing center and inferior petrosal sinus sampling (IPSS) for patients with Cushing’s syndrome
• Neurosurgical interventions, including intraoperative MRI technology and minimally invasive endonasal procedures performed jointly by a pituitary neurosurgeon and otolaryngology head and neck surgeon
• Specialized radiation therapies, including fractionated radiation therapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, and proton therapy

Our skull base tumor team offers the latest diagnostic services and treatments for cancerous and noncancerous tumors that form in the base of the skull. These conditions include schwannomas, meningiomas, chondrosarcomas, chordomas, cerebrospinal fluid leaks, and meningoencephaloceles.

Our offerings include:

• Minimally invasive surgery, including endoscopic procedures and operations performed with intraoperative MRI
• Advanced diagnostic testing, including imaging, genetic testing, and specialized evaluations of hearing, balance, and vision
• Care to protect or restore essential functions, including facial movement, vision, voice, swallowing, and airway function, as well as facial nerve surgery and rehabilitation in partnership with Mass Eye and Ear
• Specialized pediatric skull base care, including auditory brainstem implants for children with profound hearing loss

Our specialists care for patients with primary and metastatic spinal tumors, schwannomas, neurofibromas, neurofibromatosis, and other tumors of the spine and peripheral nerves. We also treat related complications, including nerve compression, pain, spinal fractures, and instability.

We offer:

• Genetic counseling and family-centered evaluations for inherited neurogenetic tumor syndromes
• Innovative treatments, including minimally invasive spine surgery, precision radiation therapy, systemic treatments, and clinical trials
• Pediatric spine tumor care for children and adolescents with spinal tumors and neurogenetic tumor syndromes