Find a Doctor
The Neuro-Oncology Program at Tufts Medical Center in downtown Boston, MA offers the most advanced care for treatment of benign and malignant tumors of the brain, skull base and spinal cord. The types of cancer we treat include:
We use the most advanced techniques — from targeted drug therapies to Gamma Knife radiosurgery — to improve your chances of a successful recovery.
We are also on the forefront of advancing new therapies to increase life expectancy for patients with brain tumors. For example, we are currently using a therapy for glioblastoma that involves patients wearing an array of external electrodes on their heads for at least 18 hours a day. Preliminary data from the study showed that when patients used the device in addition to traditional treatment, their likelihood of survival two years out increased. Learn more >
Treating brain tumors is complex medicine, and every patient and every tumor needs a different approach. The neuro-oncology team meets weekly to discuss progress and treatment plans for our patients, including management of side effects like seizures and neuro-cognitive difficulties (including trouble with speaking, hearing or seeing).
Our multidisciplinary team includes:
Great teams need great leaders. Our neuro-oncology team has some of the country's best. Carl Heilman, MD and Julian Wu, MD are both ranked among the top 1% of neurosurgeons in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. They both have been actively treating brain tumor patients for 20 years.
At the Neuro-Oncology Program, we work closely with one another, with your primary physician and — most importantly — with you to create a unique treatment plan. After surgery or a biopsy, your personalized plan may include a combination of radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy.
We have the only Gamma Knife Center in Massachusetts and northern New England, which lets us perform "brain surgery without the knife" using extremely accurate beams of radiation. No matter which treatment techniques we use, you can be sure our doctors always have your best interests and best chance of recovery in mind.
It means that from the first time you step foot in our Cancer Center, you'll be guided by a team of top experts, working side by side to give you the best care possible. Your doctors will know more than just your diagnosis — they'll know your name, your family, your specific treatment needs and just about everything else that makes you unique.
It also means you'll have access to the most promising techniques, technologies and medications available. And it means our only goal is giving you the best possible chance of recovery, with the least possible chance of side effects and complications.
Accepting New Patients
Virtual Appointments Available
Title(s): Neurosurgeon-in-Chief and Chair, Department of Neurosurgery, Tufts Medical Center; Chair and Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine Department(s): Neurosurgery Appt. Phone: 617-636-5860 Fax #: 617-636-7587
Meningiomas, acoustic neuromas, skull base surgery, pituitary surgery, Chiari surgery
Title(s): Neuro-Oncologist; Assistant Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine Department(s): Neurology, Cancer Center Appt. Phone: 617-636-5848 Fax #:
Neuro-oncology, brain tumors, neurologic metastases
Title(s): Chief, Division of Epilepsy Surgery; Co-Chief, Division of Spine Surgery; Assistant Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine Department(s): Neurosurgery Appt. Phone: 617-636-8585 Fax #: 617-636-7587
Epilepsy neurosurgery, skull base surgery, pituitary surgery, neurovascular surgery, minimally invasive spine surgery, neurosurgical disorders in patients with achondroplasia, neurosurgical disorders in patients with Down syndrome
Title(s): Nurse Practitioner; Assistant Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine Department(s): Medicine, Hematology/Oncology Appt. Phone: 617-636-2694 Fax #: 617-636-8538
Neuro-oncology, palliative care
Title(s): Radiation Oncologist; Clinic Director; Associate Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine Department(s): Radiation Oncology, Pediatric Radiation Oncology Appt. Phone: 617-636-6161 Fax #: 617-636-4513
Oncologic consultation for general radiotherapy and Gamma Knife, pediatric radiation oncology, lung cancer
Title(s): Neurosurgeon; Assistant Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine Department(s): Neurosurgery Appt. Phone: 617-636-5878 Fax #: 617-636-7587
Neurosurgical oncology, degenerative spinal disorders, brain and spinal tumors, including primary, metastatic, and benign conditions (glioma, metastasis, meningioma, schwannoma), degenerative spinal disorders, including myelopathy, herniated spinal discs, and lumbar stenosis, and their treatment with minimally invasive spinal surgery, spinal fusion, and microdiscectomy,
Title(s): Associate Chairman, Neurosurgery; Chief, Neurosurgical Oncology; Neurosurgery Residency Program Director; Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine Department(s): Neurosurgery Appt. Phone: 617-636-4500 Fax #: 617-636-7587
Neuro-oncology, Gamma Knife radiosurgery, meningiomas, pituitary tumors, gliomas, brain metastasis, trigeminal neuralgia
