Neuro Oncology
Neurooncology is a branch of medicine that concerns cancers of the brain and spinal cord. Cancers of the nervous system are often severe conditions that eventually become life threatening.
Some examples of these life threatening neurological cancers include astrocytomas, glioblastoma multiforme, glioma, pontine glioma, ependymoma and brain stem tumors. Of the malignant brain cancers, high-grade astrocytoma and gliomas of the brain stem are examples of the most severe diseases, with patients not usually surviving more than a few months without treatment. Survival can be extended with chemotherapy and radiotherapy to a couple of years in some cases.
Cancers of the nervous system may occur as primary tumors or as secondary or metastatic tumors that arise due to cancer that has spread from another part of the body. Primary tumors can occur at any age but they often affect people while they are in their prime. Most primary cancers are more common among males than females, although meningiomas are more common among females. Secondary tumors can spread to the nervous system from another site of origin through metastasis, compression or direct invasion.
The severity of a brain injury can range from a mild concussion to a severe injury that results in coma or even death.
Causes of Neuro Oncology
Various inherited conditions can lead to the development of brain tumors such as neurofibromatosis, tuberous sclerosis and Turner syndrome. Other factors that are thought to increase the risk of brain cancer include age, exposure to radiation and a weak immune system due to HIV/AIDs or the use of immunosuppressant medications.
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