Blog

It’s time for a vacation! Taking a break can be rejuvenating and provide a lovely change of scene. Whether taking a trip a few miles away or across the country (or globe), people traveling with cancer can make their journey more enjoyable with these plan-ahead tips. General travel considerations:...

We have a number of ongoing and new clinical trials at the Pacific Brain Tumor Center for patients who may benefit from newer brain tumor treatment options. In our Clinical Trials Round-Up blog series, we will periodically provide an update on the latest clinical trials and studies at our center....

It was Winston Churchill who famously said, “Never give in—never, never never.” He could have been describing Rudolf Metzger and his Providence Saint John’s Health Center physician Santosh Kesari, MD, PhD. Metzger has confronted numerous obstacles over his 70 years. As a young immigrant from Austria,...

We are very excited to announce the launch of the new Pacific Neuroscience Institute website, www.PacificNeuro.org Since 2007, the Pacific Brain Tumor Center & Pituitary Disorders Program has been focused on providing comprehensive care and minimally invasive treatment of brain, skull base and pituitary tumors.  Over...

What is Keyhole Surgery? In the past, traditional approaches to brain tumor removal always involved major surgery. In a recent paper published in Journal of Neuro-Ophthamology, Dr. Daniel Kelly and his colleagues detail how significant advances in surgical techniques over the past 20 years have changed...

Dr. Chester Griffiths has a knack for making people feel at ease right away. His easy-going manner and friendly disposition complement his considerable surgical experience and expertise. Along with Dr. Daniel Kelly at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute, he is co-surgeon in endoscopic endonasal pituitary and skull base surgeries, and provides post-operative...

We are at a point in medicine where in the near future many types of cancers will be in long-term remission and will even achieve the tentative status of being cured. Funding at the national level for Precision Medicine programs, including cancer, is dramatically helping to achieve...

by Guest Writer Dr. Patti Johnson It takes Two – You and Your Support Team A chronic condition is one that persists over time without an easily definable beginning, middle and end. After being diagnosed with a chronic condition, such as some types of brain...

Unfortunately there is no clear answer to this question. At this time, seeking out top neurosurgeons and high quality neuro-oncological care is the only way we have of dealing of brain, pituitary and skull base tumors. Looking at risk factors can give us some insight but nothing...

Providence Saint John’s Health Center has opened the first Voyager device clinical trial in Los Angeles. Principal investigator, Garni Barkhoudarian, MD, and co- investigator, Santosh Kesari, MD, PhD, both faculty at Saint John’s Cancer Institute and Pacific Neuroscience Institute physicians, are actively recruiting patients for...