What You Should Know About Duke Brain Tumor Center

Looking for the best kind of information and help should be one of your priorities if you or a loved one has been diagnosed with brain tumor. Some say you can easily get quality assistance and brain tumor data at Duke Brain Tumor Center. Let’s get to know the place a little bit.

The Center

The Duke Brain Tumor Center was among the first clinical and research programs for brain tumors to be established in the United States in 1937. Today, the center is not just dedicated to treating brain tumors but to finding a cure through extensive research and clinical studies. The center has already been awarded a Specialized Program of Research Excellence in 2004.

The neuro-oncology programs of the center for adults, adolescents and teenagers are considered among the best. At the center you can find consultation and treatment options, basic information and research updates, patient and family support services and opportunities to help other brain tumor patients.

Tisch Family

Today, the center bears the name Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke. This is in recognition of the Tisch family’s outstanding support for the center. The family gave $10 million to help fund brain tumor research. Half of the donation will fund efforts to look for researchers with great potential to join Duke. The other half of the Tisch donation will be used to help finance clinical trials and research that will help accelerate new drug treatments as fully valid treatment options.

The Gift of Education

One of the most basic benefits that patients and families can hope for from Duke is accurate brain tumor information. Patients can expect both general and specific information about their conditions. This includes detailed information about specific treatments and what patients can expect and should do after treatment.

Research

Research programs remain one of the most vital aspects of the center’s work. Center researchers are not only dedicated to looking for treatments but they are set on finding treatments that can really cure cancer some of which in a non-invasive manner. Past and present research studies include the use of gene therapy and radiotherapy in pediatric cases, the use of immunotoxins for cancer cells that cannot be surgically removed, the use of antibodies to help in tumor treatment, and defining genes that contribute to treatment difficulties. The actual list of research breakthroughs and currents studies is long and cannot be adequately represented here. It is sufficient to say that the center is at the forefront with novel and breakthrough brain tumor research.

The center also provides patients with the opportunity to voluntarily participate in clinical trials and studies. This will provide patients with access to new and promising treatments. Study participation is also a great chance for patients to help with efforts to look for better treatments for future patients.

Support

One of the best things about the center is the level of support it gives to patients and their families. Assistance may range from emotional counseling to the more practical issues such as legal considerations, understanding insurance coverage and transportation and accommodation. The support programs and resources of the center are comprehensive. The center can help families from the initial stages of diagnosis until the transition period following the death of a loved one.