Support for Glioma & Astrocytoma

Perlmutter Cancer Center doctors monitor people closely after treatment for a glioma with regular follow-up visits. During these appointments, doctors ask questions about any problems you may be having. They may perform physical and neurological exams and order lab or imaging tests to look for signs of cancer or treatment side effects.

Low-grade gliomas can grow very slowly or not at all for long periods of time. Most people with low-grade gliomas visit their care team every three to six months during the first two years after treatment, then at least once a year thereafter. People with low-grade gliomas are followed very closely to ensure there is no change in the tumor.

People treated for high-grade gliomas visit their care team more frequently, typically every four to eight weeks.

The supportive care team at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center provides ongoing treatment for any pain or discomfort a glioma or its treatments may cause. Pain management may include medication or integrative therapies, including acupuncture, which may relieve cancer-related pain and the dry mouth and fatigue caused by radiation therapy. Our specialists also offer stress-reducing massage therapy.

Support groups and one-on-one counseling sessions with a psycho-oncologist, a healthcare provider trained to address the psychological needs of people with cancer, are available at Perlmutter Cancer Center. Counseling can help you manage any stress, anxiety, or depression you may be experiencing. Social workers are available to help you address any financial matters that may arise during your treatment.

Depending on the location of a glioma in the brain and the type of treatment given, some people may have problems with cognition, or the ability to think or process information. At NYU Langone’s Rusk Rehabilitation, our rehabilitation doctors, neurologists, and psychologists can help you regain cognitive function or adapt to any challenges you may be experiencing.

Gliomas can affect balance and movement. Physical therapists at Rusk Rehabilitation can address these challenges with an exercise-based program that maximizes the body’s ability to compensate for a loss of balance. In addition, our occupational therapists can help people return to their usual activities, such as dressing, preparing a meal, or balancing a bank account.

A glioma can occur near the optic nerve, which runs from the eye to the brain and enables people to see. Treatment for the cancer or the tumor itself can sometimes interfere with vision.

Our team of doctors, which includes rehabilitation physicians, ophthalmologists, neurologists, and neuro-optometrists—optometrists who specialize in treating people with visual problems due to neurologic conditions—can help people adapt to changes in their vision or learn how to compensate for vision loss. Therapists at Rusk Rehabilitation help you achieve the best possible level of independence in all of your daily activities.

People with a glioma may benefit from clinical trials, in which doctors and scientists study promising new therapies. Perlmutter Cancer Center doctors are designing the some of the most cutting-edge clinical trials and participate in active research programs dedicated to investigating new surgical techniques, radiation therapies and diagnostic tools that could prove helpful for treating a glioma. You and your doctor can discuss whether a clinical trial is right for you.