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Health Matters: Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center | 9 T he fear of hearing a diagnosis of brain tumor is unimaginable, whether it's you or someone you love. At Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, you're in good hands with a comprehensive team committed to guiding patients and their families through this very difficult time, with access to the latest research and therapies and a heavy dose of compassion. A new brain tumor surgery program, led by neurosurgeon Garni Barkhoudarian, MD, brings the resources and expertise of the Santa Monica–based Pacific Neuroscience Institute (PNI) to Providence Saint Joseph patients. We know how important it is to have access to excellent care close to home. That's why we partnered with PNI, based at Providence Saint John's Health Center, to bring this new level of surgical expertise to Burbank. The new Brain Tumor Surgery Program complements Providence Saint Joseph's existing robust neuroscience services. The hospital's Howard and Hycy Hill Neuroscience Institute provides comprehensive neurology, neurosurgery, neurovascular, stroke, concussion, movement disorder and spine care treatments, all in one place. Dr. Barkhoudarian is a board-certified, fellowship-trained neurosurgeon, specializing in minimally invasive approaches to brain surgery. There are three types of brain tumors, he explains. "The most common is metastatic disease of other cancers, including lung, breast, gastrointestinal and melanoma. These can benefit from surgery, as well as radiosurgery provided by a team led by Karen Sokolov, MD, medical director of radiation oncology at our Roy and Patricia Disney Family Cancer Center here at Providence Saint Joseph. We take a multidisciplinary approach to these tumors." The second type of tumor are those that arise in the brain itself, such as glioblastoma. "We have a very strong neuro-oncology team at PNI, which provides options to our patients in Burbank," says Dr. Barkhoudarian. "They include standard-of-care treatments as well as clinical trials, testing of new drugs and new approaches to this challenging cancer." Benign tumors make up the third category. "These include meningiomas, schwannomas and other types of tumors that cause neurological dysfunction," he says. SOPHISTICATED CARE Dr. Barkhoudarian focuses on removing tumors through small apertures. "Ideally, even for big tumors, we can often get them out through an opening in the bone the size of a quarter or half dollar," he says. This might involve making a small incision under the eyebrow or behind the ear. Sometimes the brain can be approached via the nostrils, completely eliminating the need for an incision. For some brain tumors, Dr. Barkhoudarian uses fluorescence-guided surgery. This involves a dye taken orally or by injection that highlights the tumor under the microscope. "This allows us to see the margins [borders] immediately and helps us remove as much tumor as we safely can," he says. "We're constantly tweaking our program to give patients the best possible results and ease their way with a seamless approach," says Dr. Barkhoudarian. "Our operating room and intensive care unit personnel, along with case managers, therapists, hospitalists and others, work closely as a team to maximize patient care." Providence Saint Joseph brain tumor patients also benefit from research and clinical trials performed by Dr. Barkhoudarian and his PNI colleagues. Some clinical trials will be available at Providence Saint Joseph, and patients will have access to PNI trials conducted at other Southern California hospitals. Dr. Barkhoudarian graduated from UCLA and received his medical degree from the University of Michigan. He completed his neurosurgical residency at UCLA and a pituitary and neuro-endoscopy fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. CARE CLOSE TO HOME "Rather than having patients travel 45 minutes or more to receive care, we want to bring the care to them," says Dr. Barkhoudarian. "Patients can stay at home and be close to their family. Families can come along on appointments. Even in the era of virtual appointments, in-person visits are still important." This is all part of Providence Saint Joseph's patient-centered orientation, to be there for the patients in their time of need. Dr. Barkhoudarian is pleased to become part of the Burbank community. "I'm Armenian and have a lot of ties in the Burbank area and surrounding vicinity. I really hope to engage at that level with my colleagues and friends in the community and deliver the best care possible to our patient populations."

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