Brain Tumor

If you are having trouble with walking, coordination, or maintaining balance in your body don’t brush off such symptoms these could be early warnings of a brain tumor. It is a serious health condition but difficult to detect at an early stage. A brain tumor is the growth of cells in the brain or nearby areas of it. The most common area of the brain that are affected by brain tumor includes nerves, the pituitary gland, the pineal gland, and the membranes that surround the brain. These are usually developed in the brain but could spread to other areas of the body. 

These are the general and most commonly known types of brain tumors. 

It is the most common type of brain tumor. In this type, cells look like glial cells that surround the nerves and tissues of the brain. In the beginning, these are benign but mostly are malignant. 

It is mostly present in the region of the brain which produces fluid in the brain. This fluid is called cerebrospinal fluid. The tumors are mostly present in fluid-filled cavities of the brain. It can be benign or malignant. But it is most common in children.

These cells are developed during the embryonal development. It is most common among babies. The most common type of it is medulloblastoma. It is mostly present in the lower back of the brain. 

Germ cells are mostly in testicles and ovaries. But sometimes they are in other parts of the body including the brain. When they are present in the brain develop into tumors located near the pineal gland or pituitary gland. They are most common in children. 

They are mostly present near the pineal region of the brain. Most often they are located in the center of the brain. It can be benign or malignant. The most common type of it is Pineoblastoma which is most common in children. 

They mostly spur in the spinal cord. They are mostly benign but can be malignant. It is the most common type of brain tumor. 

This type of tumor is mostly develop in the nerves or around the nerves. The most common type that develops in the brain is acoustic neuroma also known as schwannoma. It mostly develops in which part of the brain that connects the inner ear with the brain. 

They are mostly starting to develop around the pituitary gland. These types of tumors are usually benign. The common type of tumor that develops in the pituitary gland region is Craniopharyngioma.

There are many other types of brain tumors that can happen in the brain. Tumors can start in muscles, vessels, or in the tissues of the brain. Tumors can also start forming in the skull. Brain tumors can also begin from germ-fighting immune system which is known as central nervous system lymphoma. 

Anything that enhances the chance of getting cancer is called a risk factor. As you get old you are more prone to develop brain tumors. Moreover being overweight and obese can increase the risk of brain tumors 2% of brain tumors are caused by obesity. 

Medical scans such as X-rays and CT scans are used to detect any abnormality in the body that can cause cancer.

The risks of radiation from medical scans are very low. Your doctors and dentist will keep your exposure to radiation as low as possible. They will only do X-rays and CT scans when they are necessary. Less than 1% of cancer cases are caused by exposure to ionizing radiation

People who have a family history of brain tumors are more prone to this abnormality than the general public. The most common symptoms observed by such people include:

• Neurofibromatosis
• Tuberous sclerosis
• Li-Fraumeni syndrome
• Turner syndrome
• Turcot syndrome
• Gorlin syndrome

A person with a brain tumor can observe various symptoms that can be detected by medical tests to detect either are tumor or other medical problems. Symptoms of brain tumors can vary from general to specific. 

·      Headache is the most common symptom of a brain tumor.

·      People with brain tumors can experience seizures. In a seizure person can experience involuntary muscle movements like

·      Myoclonic:

·      It is the twitching of various muscles at one time.

·      Tonic-Clonic:

·      In this condition person can lose consciousness. A person can experience a loss of control of the body.

·      Sensory

·      Change in vision, and hearing is most common in this type.

·      Change in the memory and personality behavior.

·      Frequent nausea and vomiting are also common among people who have tumors.

·      Fatigue

·      Insomnia (Lack Sleep)

·       Unable to walk or move around properly and lacks energy. 

·      People can feel pressure near a particular region of the brain.

·      A tumor in the frontal lobe of the cerebrum is associated with paralysis and loss of consciousness.

·      Loss of vision due to tumor in the cerebrum region

·      Tumors in the frontal lobe can cause changes in speech, hearing, and memory or retention.

·      Penial gland tumor causes inability to look upward.

·      If a person has a tumor in the stem region of the brain can experience numbness and facial weakness

·      To diagnose all these various body tests are conducted. To locate, and understand the tumor chemistry. 

Depending on the size and location of the tumor it is broken down into 4-5 stages.it is for to understand how aggressively the tumor is growing. High-grade tumors grow at a faster rate as compared to low-grade tumors.

·      Grade I: In this type, cells look like normal cells and it is the least harmful type.

·      Grade II: In this type, cells are usually malignant but their growth is comparatively low.

·      Grade III: This is usually a malignant type and the cell growth rate is fast.

·      Grade IV: The growth rate is exponential and the chances of reversal are least.

These are non-cancerous and tend to stay in one place in the brain. Cells tend to grow at a slower rate. If all tumors remove safely chances of reversal are meager.  

It is a condition in which glial cells grow at an exponential rate. These are usually grown in the brain and can also form in the spinal cord. They are usually cancerous but don’t spread at a faster rate but can be life-threatening. 

Gliomas are generally of three types low, mid, or high grade based on how fast they are growing. 

Age, and ethnicity like white people are more prone to it any family history or any exposure to radiation or toxins are the main contributing factors for Glioma. 

·       Brain hemorrhage

·       Brain Herniation

·       Seizures

·       Pressure near the skull 

MRIs and CT scans are usually performed to look for tumors in the body. Then for further details tissue sampling is conducted which is known as biopsy. 

Surgery is the most common type of treatment used for the removal of tumors. The whole part of the tumor is removed. The tumor part is removed to slow the growth rate. The fluid that is developed in the brain is drained out. The challenge of brain tumor surgery is doctors try to remove as much part of the brain as possible to stop growth which ultimately affects normal tissues.

The survival rate depends upon age and type of tumor

·      Oligodendroglioma - 90% of patients are between the age group of 20-44, 82% of patients are between 45-54, and 69% of patients are between 55-64

·      Meningioma - 84%survival rate for patients of age group 20-44, 79% for patients from the age group 45-54, and 74% for patients of the age group 55-64

·      Glioblastoma - 22% survival rate for patients ranging from 20-44 years old., 9% for patients between 45 and 54 and 6% for patients between 55 and 64

·      Anaplastic astrocytoma – survival rate is 58% for patients of the 20-44 age group, 29% for patients 45-54 years old and 15% for patients lies between the ages of 55-64

·      Although with the advancement of research, treatment can be improved and some patients show exponential responses which vary from person to person response to treatment. 

Depending on your age, type of tumor, or irritability of the tumor it can cause harm. But in some cases, it caused the death of the patient. If we analyze the death from the past three years the death ratio from tumors lies between 4-6%.

There are not known proper ways of preventing it but maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help to prevent it which reduces the risk of developing it. Because some people with a lot of risk factors don't develop while others develop it. Having healthy surroundings, regular exercise, and avoiding smoking and alcohol reduce the risk of it.