Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors: Assessment, Treatment, and Nursing Care

In this episode, we explore the complex care of patients with brain and spinal cord tumors, focusing on both primary and metastatic lesions. We’ll discuss how these tumors disrupt neurologic function and contribute to serious complications such as increased intracranial pressure (ICP). Key diagnostic tools, including MRI and CT imaging, will be reviewed, along with a closer look at glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive and treatment-resistant brain cancers. Medical management strategies—surgical resection, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy—are examined alongside supportive pharmacologic therapies like corticosteroids and anticonvulsants. Throughout the episode, we emphasize the nursing process, highlighting priorities in symptom control, nutritional support, patient education, and the coordination of palliative and hospice care to support both patients and their families through complex neurologic illness.