Rutgers Health Brain and Spine Tumor Program is New Jersey’s premier care center for people with brain and spine tumors. Our Newark-based center is comprised of top-notch, interdisciplinary teams at Cancer Institute of New Jersey–Newark and Rutgers New Jersey Medical School who approach patient care from every angle. Individually, our providers are among the best in their fields; together, we provide best-in-class clinical care for those diagnosed with brain and spine tumors, from diagnosis and treatment to clinical trials. To learn more, or to make an appointment, call the Brain and Spine Tumor Program at 973-972-2323.
Brain and Spine Tumor Treatment Options
Each member of our multidisciplinary teams contributes to developing comprehensive, personalized approaches for your care. This integrated approach means you receive the benefit of our collective expertise to make critical treatment decisions by considering all available options including:
- Awake craniotomy
- Chemotherapy
- Computed tomography (CT)
- Clinical trials
- Cranial endoscopy
- CyberKnife®
- Cytogenetics
- GammaKnife®
- Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT)
- Immunotherapy
- Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
- Intraoperative fluorescence
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- MR spectroscopy
- MR perfusion
- Molecular profiling
- Neuro-monitoring
- Neuro-navigation
- Neurosurgery
- Proton beam therapy
- Radiation
- Stereotactic image guidance
- Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS)
- Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT)
- Targeted therapy
- Tractography
Clinical Trials
As part of New Jersey’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Brain and Spine Tumor Program can connect you with the right clinical trial for your diagnosis. View current clinical trials or call 973-972-1881 to learn more.
Our dedicated clinical trial coordinators and researchers can help you navigate clinical trial options, which include many national cooperative groups. We can also make a laboratory model of your tumor cells to help us research your tumor.
We are committed to providing the most appropriate clinical trial recommendations for your diagnosis, and can help you navigate this process even if we are not a participating site. Additional information on clinical trials is available from the NIH at www.ClinicalTrials.gov.
Your Care Team
Our integrated approach means you can consult with experts in neurosurgery, neuro-oncology, and radiation oncology during the same visit to learn more about the right treatment for you. During our weekly tumor board group meeting, our experts collaborate closely to develop a plan to address your specific concerns. Our team is comprised of:
- Brain and spine tumor surgeons
- Clinical trials researchers and care specialists
- Medical oncologists/Neuro-oncologists
- Neuropathologists
- Neuroradiologists
- Radiation oncologists
- Advanced practice nurses (APNs)
Our complex cranial neurosurgery team is fellowship-trained in the most advanced brain tumor surgery techniques. We help you understand your brain tumor, guide you through different treatment options, and develop a tailored treatment approach to best preserve quality of life.
Our clinical trials research and care team are trained and equipped to help you learn more about available clinical trials and can help you decide which options may be best for you.
Our medical oncology team is comprised of highly qualified medical oncologists trained in the management of brain and spine tumors of all pathologies. Our treatments utilize the latest modalities including chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy.
Our neuropathologists can provide diagnostic histopathology and immunohistochemistry for brain and spine tumors, as well as molecular profiling, cytogenetics, FISH, and next generation sequencing.
Our expert neuroradiology team can provide advanced tumor imaging including the use of MR spectroscopy, MR perfusion, 3D techniques, tractography, and functional imaging, tailoring an approach in consultation with our full complement of providers in the program.
Our radiation oncologists use highly precise, leading-edge technologies that use radiation to target brain tumors while minimizing risk to surrounding healthy tissue through various state-of–the-art radiotherapeutic modalities.
Our spine tumor surgeons collaborate with our oncology team to determine the best personalized treatments to remove spine tumors, minimize pain, and speed recovery time while maximizing your functionality through innovative and minimally invasive surgical techniques.
Advanced practice nurses (APNs) are a critical component of the care you receive at Brain and Spine Tumor Program. Our dedicated APNs provide pre- and post-operative care to patients undergoing brain and spine tumor surgery and work closely with the other caregivers in the program to optimize communication, facilitate collaboration, and extend the team’s ability to take the best care of our patients.