Brain tumor treatments affect normal cells as well as tumor cells. Side-effects are caused by the treatment's affect on normal cells. Some side-effects are minimal, causing only minor discomfort. Others can be serious and even life threatening. Since side-effects vary with each person, you may experience some and not others, or none at all.

In this section, we explain and offer suggestions for managing some of the more common side-effects. Your doctors and nurses can provide more specific guidance for coping with problems you encounter. You will probably receive a lot of information about your treatment. Your nurses can help you sort through and understand much of it. They can also guide you to the specialists within the healthcare system who can help you with specific problems. For instance, pharmacists can advise you about the potential side-effects of the medications you'll take at home and what reactions your doctor should know about immediately. Psychologists and other specialists can teach you complementary therapies, such as relaxation techniques, to help control treatment or disease-related effects. Social workers can link you to community resources with support services.

This section was updated in February, 2002. We thank Teresa E. Omert RN, APN-CNS, for her assistance with this update.