CINN Medical Group Physician Blog

The Risks of Operating on a Brain Tumor

The risks of any brain tumor operation are of two types. First, there are the general risks. These include some problem with the heart, lungs, kidneys or liver which would be considered secondary to the anesthesia. There is excessive bleeding requiring blood transfusions (which carry a small risk of blood borne diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS and the risk of an allergic reaction). There is always a risk of infection, including sepsis (blood poisoning).

Then there are the specific risks which are a function of the type and location of the tumor. These include stroke, blindness, paralysis or other neurological deficit and seizure.

Although the risks sound daunting, the probability of any single one is usually low. Remember, though, that statistics never apply to the individual. If there is only a ½ percent chance of an untoward effect occurring but you are the victim, your exposure is one hundred percent. Risks must be weighed against benefits in each case.

This is particularly true when the tumor is discovered incidentally, without symptoms. The same tumor type and size in the same location might be appropriately handled differently in a thirty year-old healthy person (high benefit/low risk) than in a seventy year-old frail person (low benefit/high risk). Each case is unique, requiring much thought and information. When the tumor is symptomatic, on the other hand, the choices are more limited, but no less important.

See NOHC’s brain tumor page for more about brain tumors.