In the United States alone, every 30 out of 100,000 adults suffer from central nervous system and brain tumors. Malignant brain tumors are extremely dangerous as they exert tremendous pressure on those parts of the patient’s brain that are healthy and may also spread into other areas. So, timely detection of brain tumor is crucial to extend the lifespan of the individual by offering the best possible brain tumor treatment. Hence, every person should know about the risk factors and symptoms of brain cancer and that’s what this article is all about.
Brain Tumor: An Overview
Abnormal growth of cells near or in the brain is a brain tumor. So, brain tumors may affect the brain tissue or nearby locations such as the membranes covering the surface of a person’s brain, the pineal gland, and the pituitary gland.
Based on where they originate, brain tumors are classified as primary and metastatic. If the tumor originated in the brain, it is called a primary tumor, and examples include glioblastoma and meningioma. Secondary or metastatic brain tumors are malignant, and they can originate in the skin, lungs, kidneys, breast, or colon, and spread to the individual’s brain.
Differences Between Brain Tumor & Brain Cancer
All types of brain cancers are tumors, but all tumor cells are not cancerous. Benign tumors grow slowly, rarely spread to other areas of the brain, and are noncancerous. They can still be life-threatening if they are situated in any vital area of the person’s brain. Some examples of noncancerous brain tumors are pituitary adenoma, vestibular schwannoma, and meningioma.
Malignant brain tumors are cancerous, and they grow rapidly, thus invading surrounding brain structures that are perfectly healthy. There are different types of brain tumors that are cancerous, and these include medulloblastoma, olfactory neuroblastoma, and chondrosarcoma.
Symptoms of a Brain Tumor & Cancer
The signs and symptoms of brain cancer depends on the size of the tumor and which part of the brain has the tumor. Some people having brain tumors do not experience any symptoms at all and then diagnosis becomes challenging. However, some types of tumors cause symptoms like:
1. Headaches
The most obvious symptom of tumor or cancer in the brain is a headache. Nearly 50% of people suffering from brain tumors have headaches when a growing tumor keeps applying pressure on the healthy brain cells surrounding it. Another reason why one might have frequent headaches is because a brain tumor may result in swelling and this puts pressure in the head.
The intensity of the headache pain resulting from brain tumors might keep changing. It is usually worse when the person wakes up, but some patients may have headaches throughout the day. Also, brain cancer headaches are more painful when you cough.
According to people who have been diagnosed with brain cancers, the headache due to brain tumors often feels like a tension headache. Others say that it is more like migraine pain. If the brain tumor is in the backside of the person’s brain, then there can be headaches along with neck pain. If the tumor is positioned in the front side of the head, the pain might be similar to sinus pain or eye pain.
2. Seizures
Seizures are among the common symptoms of a brain tumor and brain cancer. However, seizures can be of various types. Motor seizures, for instance, are accompanied by sudden movements of the individual’s muscles and they are also known as convulsions. Scroll down to know about the other kinds of seizures and what happens when you have seizures:
Myoclonic seizures are single or multiple jerks, spasms, twitches. The side effects of tonic-clonic seizures are loss of consciousness, followed by relaxing and twitching muscles that we call contractions. Sometimes, having seizures might affects bodily functions like bladder control. There can also be no breathing for a brief period of 30 seconds, and this can turn the person’s skin purple, grey, green, blue, or white.
If it is a sensory seizure, there can be changes in some sensations, smell, hearing, and vision. Complex partial seizures can cause total or partial consciousness loss and may also be associated with unintentional, repetitive movements like twitching. After some seizures, it is normal to feel sleepy and have confusion, sore muscles, numbness, weakness, etc.
Other brain tumor symptoms
Both malignant and benign brain tumors can cause other symptoms such as:
- Vomiting or nausea
- Speech difficulties
- Balance issues/ loss of coordination
- Vision problems like blurry vision
- Restricted movement in the leg or arm
- Feeling fatigued
- Confusion in simple matters
- Behavior or personality changes
- Facing trouble obeying basic instructions
- Hearing problems
- Memory loss
- Gaining weight suddenly and feeling hungry all the time
- Feeling that the world is spinning, a condition termed vertigo
- Dizziness
If you experience the above-mentioned brain tumor symptoms, it will be wise to visit an esteemed neurologist. The diagnosis will reveal if something is wrong with your brain and spinal cord. While the symptoms may not be of brain tumor, why take chances?
Treatment of Brain Tumors/ Cancers
After noticing symptoms of brain tumors, brain tumor diagnosis is the first step to understanding if the person has noncancerous or cancerous brain tumor. If cancer cells are found, brain tumors in adults are ideally treated through surgery. Even after surgical removal, continued monitoring is a must.
Usual surgical approaches by physicians for removing brain tumors are neuroendoscopy, craniotomy, laser interstitial thermal therapy, and laser ablation. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are other treatment options that can shrink the tumor, slow down the growth, or/ and prevent it from returning. Stereotactic radiosurgery, proton therapy, and external beam radiation therapy are some of the newest radiation treatments for managing brain tumors.
The Bottom Line
We may conclude by saying that being diagnosed with brain tumor can be frightening. It is mandatory to find a reputed cancer hospital medical that has accomplished doctors you can trust. The survival rate depends on many factors like the tumor grade, location and size of the cancer, the patient’s overall health and age, expertise of the surgeon, and how far the tumor has spread.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What are the early warning signs of brain cancer?
Vomiting, personality changes, dizziness, exhaustion, speech problems, vision problems, hearing problems, seizures, and recurrent headaches are some brain cancer signs.
Q. How do symptoms of brain cancer differ from other neurological issues?
The symptoms of primary brain tumors and secondary brain tumors are quite similar to several psychiatric as well as neurological symptoms. That’s what makes it difficult for people to guess that some type of malignant or benign tumor might be developing in/ around the brain and affecting their nervous system.
