Survival rate may vary in different people depending upon nature and stage of disease. The major factors that influence survival seem to be the type of cancer, its location, whether it can be surgically removed or reduced, your age, and your other medical problems.

• The long-term survival rate (greater than 5 years) for people with primary brain cancer is less than 10% despite aggressive surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.

• But these treatments do prolong survival in the short term and, perhaps more importantly, improve your quality of life while you are still alive.

• Most people with metastatic brain cancer die from their primary cancer rather than from the brain lesions.

• In this case as well, radiation and chemotherapy increase your life expectancy modestly.

• People who have seizures generally do poorly over the following 6 months.

• Despite seemingly dismal chances of long-term survival, these chances are clearly greater with treatment than without. Discuss treatment options and best-estimated prognosis with your cancer team.

While no specific alternative therapies have become popular for this particular type of brain cancer, patients interested in pursuing complementary therapies should discuss the idea with their doctor. A doctor may be able to provide information about the efficacy of certain techniques and whether they may interfere with conventional treatment.

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