Our approach
A cancer diagnosis is frightening. At the Alvord Brain Tumor Center at UW Medical Center, we’re here to help at every step of the way.
We offer a multidisciplinary “Medical Home” to brain tumor patients, giving them one place to go for consults, on-treatment visits and follow-up care. Our care team of physicians and nurse practitioners presents you with a full range of treatment options – and the pros and cons of each – during a single visit. Our staff social worker will support you and your loved ones throughout the course of your care. And we’ll manage every aspect of that care right here, from testing to diagnosis to treatment. Whenever you have questions, you’ll know where to turn.
Our services
Our team provides treatment for many brain and spinal cord cancers, including:
Meningiomas
Gliomas
Vestibular schwannomas
Central nervous system lymphomas
Ependymomas
Recurrent brain and spine tumors
Metastatic cancers
We offer access to leading-edge techniques, technologies and treatments, including:
Neurosurgery
Gamma Knife
Proton and photon radiation therapies
Chemotherapies (oral and infused)
Immunotherapies
Optune
And our participation in the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance gives patients access to clinical research studies that provide therapy not available anywhere else.
Our team
Our expertise spans neurological surgery, medical neuro-oncology, radiation oncology, neuro-radiology, neuropathology, rehabilitation medicine, otolaryngology and basic science research. As a team of multidisciplinary specialists, we work with you to find the right treatment for your unique circumstances.
Meanwhile, our social worker will provide emotional support to you and your family, explain caregiving options, discuss legal documents and issues, and help connect you with financial and insurance resources and additional support services.
UW Medicine, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance individually and collectively have built national reputations for advancing knowledge of cancer and its treatments. Together, we’re working to discover and implement innovative cancer treatments and technologies.