Brain Tumor Center

Brain tumors may be classified as primary or secondary.  Primary brain tumors are those developing from the “brain tissue”.  These can be further divided into “intra-axial (intrinsic)” or “extra-axial” tumors.  Intra-axial tumors are those arising from within the brain tissue proper (gliomas, astrocytomas, gliblastoma multiforme, oligodendrocytomas, ependymomas etc.) and extra-axial tumors are those arising from outside the “brain” boundary, such as the brain covering (e.g. meningiomas), the areas or structures surrounding the brain (schwannomas, pituitary adenomas, craniopharyngiomas, dermoids, epidermoids, etc.), or skull/skull base tumors (osteomas, osteosarcomas, chondromas, chordomas, chondrosarcomas, etc.)

Secondary, or metastatic, brain tumors are those formed from cancer cells originating in another part of the body (e.g. breast, lung, colon, etc.), then travel via the bloodstream to end up in or around the brain.

Working with specialists at the Disney Cancer Center at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, our surgeons provide comprehensive, individualized cutting-edge care for patients with all types of brain tumors.

Sun H. Lee, M.D., Ph.D., a fellowship-trained, board certified, senior neurosurgeon who was Professor of Neurosurgery at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Rutgers University, New Jersey, specializes in complex spine and brain tumor surgery.  Within brain tumors, his particular expertise and research interests include malignant brain tumors, pituitary tumors and metastatic brain tumors, utilizing the latest minimally invasive surgery techniques.

Joung H. Lee, M.D., a leading international authority in the subspecialty of skull base surgery, focuses on treatment of patients with meningiomas and other benign brain and skull base tumors.

For brain tumor patients, it is critically important to know the full spectrum of treatment options.  A careful analysis of the individual patient’s age, medical condition, tumor location, tumor size, symptoms and tumor type must be conducted by an interdisciplinary team of experts to come up with an individualized treatment plan tailored for each patient.

It is our mission to deliver world-class care to each and every patient with respect and compassion.  We strive to treat each patient as if he or she is our own family member.