Treatment of Recurrent Adult Central Nervous System Tumors

For information about the treatments listed below, see the Treatment Option Overview section.

There is no standard treatment for recurrent central nervous system (CNS) tumors. Treatment depends on the patient's condition, the expected side effects of the treatment, where the tumor is in the CNS, and whether the tumor can be removed by surgery. Treatment may include the following:

• Chemotherapy placed into the brain during surgery.
• Chemotherapy with drugs not used to treat the original tumor.
• Targeted therapy for recurrent glioblastoma.
• Radiation therapy.
• Surgery to remove the tumor.
• A clinical trial of a new treatment.

Use our clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting patients. You can search for trials based on the type of cancer, the age of the patient, and where the trials are being done. General information about clinical trials is also available.