What are tumor formations in the brain (OGM)?
Neoplasms of the brain - a group of diseases of a tumor nature, affecting the membrane and structure of the human brain . As it grows, the neoplasm occupies a rather large space in the cranial cavity, which interferes with normal brain activity. A tumor can germinate and damage healthy areas of the brain, with large sizes it squeezes the surrounding tissue, which leads to an increase in intracranial pressure.
Different parts of the brain are responsible for different types of human activity, so the symptoms of a brain tumor directly depend on its location and can vary significantly from case to case. OGM extremely rarely form distant metastases, usually they are located within the brain and spinal cord.
Among the human population, neoplasms of the brain do not occur very often - in 1.5% of cases of all tumor diseases. Sexual and age-related dimorphism is observed: for children, medulloblastomas and ependiomas are most characteristic, in adults, tumors are more diverse in morphological types (gliomas, astrocytomas, ependiomas, oligodendrogliomas, meningiomas, adenomas, neuromas). In women, meningiomas most often develop, and in males, medulloblastomas.
Common symptoms of a brain tumor
Signs of a brain tumor are conventionally divided into two groups: cerebral and related to its location in one or another part of the brain.
Cerebral symptoms include: manifestations of increased intracranial pressure (severe headaches, often in the morning, nausea or vomiting, changes in visual perception, impaired coordination) and signs of a stagnant focus of excitement in the brain tissue (convulsions of varying intensity up to the epileptic arch).
Symptoms depending on the position of the tumor are very diverse, the main ones are: impaired thinking and speaking, personality changes, weakness or paralysis in one part or side of the body, disorientation, memory loss.
Symptoms of a brain tumor are not considered absolute and can develop in other pathological conditions of the body, so the diagnosis of brain tumors is rarely timely.
What is the difference between primary and metastatic (secondary) ogm?
Primary neoplasms of the brain form in the brain tissue and rarely give metastases to distant parts of the body. According to the histological classification, they are divided into two classes: glial and nonglial tumors. Gliomas occur in the brain tissue, and negliomas occur in other structures of the brain (the pituitary, blood vessels, along the nerve trunks, etc.). Primary tumors, unlike secondary ones, can have both a malignant and benign course.
Secondary or metastatic tumors always have their origin in a poor-quality tumor located in another part of the body. Metastatic cancer is the most common type of OGM, which usually has a severe course.
What is the difference between benign and cancerous brain tumors?
Benign OGMs are slow-growing and amenable to complete surgical cure when located in an accessible place. Malignant (or cancerous) tumors are characterized by aggressive growth and infiltration into adjacent healthy tissues, which makes their complete removal impossible. For unknown reasons, benign OHMs are sometimes transformed into malignant.
The World Health Organization has developed a classification of tumors into classes, which reflects the degree of malignancy of the neoplasm and its growth rate - from the smallest degrees of aggressiveness to high.
The differences between benign and malignant OHM are ambiguous. Some benign neoplasms can be as dangerous as malignant if they are located in areas that are vital or difficult to treat. Conversely, many malignant tumors can be successfully treated.
Despite the developed classification, OGMs are specific for each person and have completely different characteristics and growth models due to the molecular composition of individual tumors.
How are brain tumors treated?
Standard methods for the treatment of OGM include surgical treatment, chemotherapy and / or radiation therapy. Radioactive and chemotherapeutic methods are used as a secondary or auxiliary treatment for neoplasms that cannot be cured exclusively by surgical methods. With tumor inoperability, these two methods are also chosen.
Predictions after treatment.
Further prognosis depends on the type of tumor, its location, the degree of spread to neighboring structures and the chosen treatment methods. Nevertheless, each case is individual and may have other factors affecting the life prognosis.
The more the patient and his family know and understand each medical aspect of his type of neoplasm (symptoms of a brain tumor, treatment methods, etc.), the less uncertainty remains in the further course of the disease. The patient must understand that progress in modern medical science allows us to talk about the possible complete healing of any type of brain tumor. Belief in healing for each person is a powerful survival strategy that allows you to go beyond the existing moment and with a hope to look into the future.