Brain Tumors
Brain Tumors
A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors, Malignant Tumors and Benign (non-cancerous) Tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secondary tumors, which most commonly have spread from tumors located outside the brain, known as metastatic brain tumors.
The most common types of primary tumors in adults are meningiomas (usually benign) and glial tumors such as glioblastomas. In children, the most common type is a malignant medulloblastoma.
Signs and symptoms
The signs and symptoms of brain tumors are broad. People may experience symptoms regardless of whether the tumor is benign (not cancerous) or cancerous. Primary and secondary brain tumors present with similar symptoms, depending on the location, size, and rate of growth of the tumor.
- Headaches
- Limb weakness
- poor reasoning, inappropriate social behavior, personality changes, poor planning, lower inhibition, and decreased production of speech
- poor memory, loss of hearing, and difficulty in language comprehension
- poor interpretation of languages, difficulty with speaking, writing, drawing, naming, and recognizing, and poor spatial and visual perception
- poor vision or loss of vision
- poor balance, muscle movement, and posture
- seizures, endocrine problems, respiratory changes
- Behaviour changes
Diagnosis
- CT scan
- MRI brain with contrast
- Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan
Classification
The most common primary brain tumors are:
- Gliomas (50.4%)
- Meningiomas (20.8%)
- Pituitary adenomas (15%)
- Nerve sheath tumors (10%)
These common tumors can also be organized according to tissue of origin as shown below :
Secondary
Secondary tumors of the brain are metastatic and have invaded the brain from cancers originating in other organs; the most common types of cancers that bring about secondary tumors of the brain are lung cancer, breast cancer, malignant melanoma, kidney cancer, and colon cancer (in decreasing order of frequency).
Treatment
Various types of treatment are available depending on tumor type and location, and may be combined to produce the best chances of survival:
Surgery : Complete or partial resection of the tumor with the objective of removing as many tumor cells as possible.
Radiotherapy : The most commonly used treatment for brain tumors; the tumor is irradiated with beta, x rays or gamma rays.
Chemotherapy: A treatment option for cancer, however, it is not always used to treat brain tumors as the blood–brain barrier can prevent some drugs from reaching the cancerous cells.
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