A brain tumor is a terrible disease, the frequency of which in recent years has become higher. All cases can be divided into two categories: benign and malignant. However, if a disease of the first category is diagnosed, this is not a reason to relax: without adequate treatment, the consequences can be sad. The right therapeutic approach can only be chosen by a highly qualified doctor. Will have to prepare for a long treatment.
general information
A benign brain tumor is a pathology that is diagnosed if some formation of organic tissue cells has formed in the brain. The type of tumor is determined by analyzing what type of cells it consists of.
The process becomes malignant if the neoplasm is able to germinate in the surrounding areas, destroying organic tissue. A malignant brain tumor is formed from immature cell structures. Sometimes the cause is cells brought in from the bloodstream from other organs. In this case, metastases are diagnosed.
Modern medicine knows several types of brain tumors that occur at different frequencies. Names were chosen focusing on those fabrics that gave rise to the process. Accepted classification:
- schwannomas (from Schwann cells, elements surrounding the brain nerves);
- ependymomas (formed from the cells that cover the cerebral ventricles inside);
- meningiomas (formed from the membranes);
- adenomas (glandular);
- osteomas (bone);
- hemangioblastomas (from vessels to move blood).
There are cases when signs of a brain tumor were observed in infants - the disease was congenital. More often, teratomas, cysts, angiomas, craniopharyngiomas develop according to this type. Modern medicine also knows some other types whose frequency of occurrence is relatively low.
Variety Features
A fairly common type of brain tumor in adults is meningioma. In the predominant percentage of cases, the neoplasm is benign, but removal does not yet guarantee absolute cure - over time, the tumor can appear again. The risk group for such a disease includes women in the reproductive period of life, although there are cases when the disease developed in children and the elderly.
It is difficult to describe all the possible symptoms of a brain tumor, since they are extremely diverse. Everything is determined by the nature of the process, size and growth rate, localization. A large tumor can be suspected of reducing intelligence, dementia.
A malignant neoplasm often develops because atypical cells get into the bloodstream, that is, the cancer is secondary - these are metastases of a neoplasm that has formed in some kind of organ. Particularly high risk of the spread of elements throughout the body:
Metastasis is characteristic of malignant processes in the respiratory and circulatory system, cancer localized in the mammary gland. All of them with a high degree of probability penetrate into the brain tissue, where they begin to grow. If secondary cancer is detected and metastases are found in the brain, this is usually the last, fourth stage. A brain tumor can appear at one point in the organ, can simultaneously develop in several areas.
Danger haunts constantly
Symptoms of a brain tumor can appear unpredictably, suddenly: the disease develops in completely healthy people. Malignant cancer is not always secondary: there is a risk that the neoplasm will form from brain cells. Most often, gliomas are diagnosed, the base of which is glial cells, which are necessary for the viability and functioning of neurons. The most common malignant glioma in medicine is called "glioblastoma multiforme."
A very big danger is associated with rapidly growing malignant neoplasms in the brain:
- anaplastic astrocytoma;
- oligodendroglioma.
In children, the incidence of medulloblastoma is relatively high. The risk of this neoplasm is more characteristic of adolescence when the reproductive system matures.
Relatively rare are very dangerous sarcomas, adenocarcinomas. Since these neoplasms are not formed from nerve tissue, the risk of their appearance in the brain is relatively small.
About the dangers
As specific studies have shown, treatment of a brain tumor can be equally required for both women and men - there is no pronounced link to gender. Some varieties are more often diagnosed in men, others are more susceptible to the fairer sex, but the picture as a whole is quite uniform. In recent years, the incidence of lymphoma has increased. There is no scientific explanation for this fact yet. To a greater extent, the risk is to recognize the symptoms of a brain tumor of this type in people with AIDS.
Currently, several treatment options have been developed. The most categorical is considered the most effective - the operation. A brain tumor, unfortunately, is far from always operable, so not every patient can take such a course. Statistics show that two-year survival in malignant tumor processes localized in this organ is not more than a quarter of patients.
The prospects are somewhat better if they managed to seek help with the first symptoms of a brain tumor. The latter, however, are often quite blurry, so they are rarely given attention until it is too late. It is known that the prognosis is somewhat better if oligodendroglioma is established, astrocytoma - after passing the therapeutic course, such neoplasms usually do not begin to grow again. Up to half of those treated due to medulloblastoma live five years or more from the moment of diagnosis.
The best prospects are in patients who have noticed symptoms of a brain tumor at an early stage, and studies have revealed anaplastic astrocytoma. Survival is higher among patients whose age is less than 45 years. Count on a positive outcome can persons who have revealed an operable neoplasm.
Manifestations
At the initial stage, a brain tumor may not manifest itself at all with any symptoms. The disease can be suspected at the moment when the tissues of the organ begin to collapse or the neoplasm compresses neighboring areas. Symptoms are not determined by the nature of the disease: malignant, benign tumors can manifest themselves in a similar way. But the primary and secondary cancer have clear differences: if the processes proceed against the background of neoplasms in other organs, the patient must have already encountered the symptoms of the underlying disease.
The first symptoms of a brain tumor will depend on the localization of the process, growth activity, size. It was found that some types can grow to quite large sizes before changes in the patient's well-being begin. There are also cases where the smallest neoplasms are already causing the malfunctioning of the brain, which means that you can contact the doctor as quickly as possible.
Notice from the start
As a rule, the very first manifestation is headaches. However, rarely patients pay enough attention to this, and there are always a huge number of explanations for headaches. A distinctive feature of the main symptom of a brain tumor for the first stage is a tendency to relapse, unpredictability, and duration. Attempts to drug control do not give a pronounced result. Usually the pain syndrome is severe, but attracts attention only if the person has not previously suffered from headaches. Often the pain intensifies at night, continues in the morning and afternoon.
At an early stage of a brain tumor, problems with coordination of movements and support of balance are usually observed. Sometimes patients complain that doubles in the eyes, dizzy. True, such manifestations do not occur in everyone: it all depends on the specifics of the localization of the problem.
A little later, vomiting, nausea, a change in the speed and rhythm of the heartbeat, and respiratory rate come. From time to time, the patient begins a fever, the temperature rises sharply, soon the symptoms also pass unpredictably, but once in a while the attacks last longer. At the last stage, the main symptom - a symptom of a brain tumor - severe pressure drops. This is more typical of people approaching a tragic denouement.
Features of manifestations
In some cases, an early symptom of a brain tumor is seizure. This is inherent in benign neoplasms, and from malignant ones, those that develop rather slowly usually manifest themselves in this way. But with a rapidly growing tumor, convulsions in the initial stages are recorded only in a relatively small percentage of patients.
It is known that the tumor process can cause muscle weakness or paralysis of the limbs of one half of the body. Perhaps a change in the ability to perceive temperature, pressure, contacts. In some cases, the tumor process can be suspected of suppressing the functions of hearing, vision, perception of taste, smell. Since the neoplasm compresses the structure of the brain, the patient may be drawn to sleep. Symptoms of a brain tumor include:
- confused consciousness;
- personality changes;
- impaired ability to think.
True, in the initial stages, these problems occur only in a small percentage of patients, more often the symptoms indicate the progress of the disease. When observing such manifestations, it is urgent to make an appointment with the doctor to conduct a detailed study of the condition.
Individual types and features
Relatively slowly developing neoplasms, recently encountered more often than before - oligodendrogliomas, astrocytomas. They belong to those few types, the first manifestations of which are precisely convulsions. But similar in localization, but malignant forms often manifest themselves as impaired brain functions. Most often, patients note a loss of sensitivity, instability of the gait, general weakness.
The worst prognosis if glioblastoma multiforme is detected. This neoplasm grows very quickly, but the removal of a brain tumor at the stage when it was detected is almost impossible to do. In the cavities of the brain, pressure increases very quickly, the patient becomes inhibited, constantly suffering from pain in the head. A further increase in pressure on the structures located nearby with the neoplasm leads to a coma.
If the formation is benign and formed from the membranes of the brain, the symptoms vary greatly. In some cases, patients report numbness of the limbs, weakness, or seizures similar to seizures. Others suffer from a sense of smell, eyes bulge out, their functionality is impaired. There are such cases when, against the background of the process, patients became inhibited, memory was impaired, and signs characteristic of Alzheimer's disease appeared.
Pituitary
The pituitary gland is the cerebral gland located at the base of the organ. Its main task is to control the function of the endocrine glands. In medical practice, pituitary tumors are quite common, but the majority of cases belong to the category of benign. In this case, iron produces an excess of hormonal compounds. It is he who becomes the cause of the manifestations, on the basis of which the patient comes for examination. The pituitary tumor can give itself away:
- gigantism;
- acromegaly;
- Cushing's syndrome;
- hyperthyroidism;
- amenorrhea;
- galactorrhea;
- gynecomastia.
Due to the pituitary tumor, some glands can be inhibited, so in the patient’s body there is a lack of certain types of hormones.
Sometimes pituitary tumors manifest themselves as headaches and impaired visual function: the fields of vision gradually narrow.
Epiphysis
No less important for the functioning of the brain, iron is located in the center of the organ and is called the pineal gland. It sets the biological rhythms, ensures the adequacy of the ratio of time that a person spends on sleep and wakefulness. Tumor processes in the pineal gland are more often characteristic of children, provoked by premature puberty. In such a situation, germinal tumors are diagnosed. Due to the neoplasm, it is possible to slow the outflow of fluid in the brain cavities, which means that the volume of the organ increases. This can be the cause of hydrocephalus or provoke a disturbance in the activity of the brain as a whole in a severe form.
You can suspect a neoplasm in the pineal gland according to the symptoms:
- interruptions in the rhythm of the heartbeat;
- vomiting and nausea;
- sore and dizzy;
- unpredictable heat attacks;
- lowering the level of consciousness;
- weakness;
- convulsive conditions;
- irregularity, confusion of breath;
- temporary clouding of consciousness;
- hearing impairment;
- loss of sensation and tingling of limbs;
- paralysis of the legs;
- weakening ability to concentrate.
Where did the trouble come from?
The following factors can provoke a brain tumor:
- genetic predisposition;
- racial affiliation (people of the Caucasian race are more susceptible, but meningioma is more often observed in people with African roots);
- age (at risk for most varieties - individuals older than 45 years).
There is a higher risk of becoming a victim of a neoplasm in the brain if a person was exposed to radiation, or if his work was associated with the harmful production of chemical components.
How to determine?
If a neoplasm is suspected in the brain, a full examination is necessary. They direct him if at least one of the symptoms mentioned above appears: since the disease is terrible, doctors prefer to play it safe. First, the patient is sent for examination to a neurologist to find out all the features of the violations, after which they choose which additional techniques should be applied to clarify the features of the case.
Often the patient is referred for an x-ray, but in fact this event provides some useful information. An x-ray allows you to clarify a benign neoplasm in the pituitary or meningioma, but in other situations it will not provide useful data on the patient's condition.
The most informative and popular method available in almost any modern hospital is computed, magnetic resonance imaging. The work uses specialized high-precision machines. When examining a patient using such a device, the doctor can determine the size of the neoplasm, identify the specifics of localization, developmental features. To clarify the data on all foci, which showed tomography, sent to more highly specialized research activities.
Continuing the topic: different types of diagnostics
From statistics it is known that with pituitary adenoma, patients often seek medical help at the stage when the neoplasm begins to put pressure on the optic nerve. The patient is sent for a blood test, according to which it can be concluded that there is an abnormally high concentration of certain types of hormonal compounds. To identify the neoplasm and its localization, they are sent for tomography.
Some other tumors can also cause hormonal changes. To identify a specific variety and nature of the process, a biopsy is required. The procedure involves the collection of samples of organic tissue for histological analysis.
Malignant cells can be obtained by taking samples of fluid from the spinal cord. Such an analysis is contraindicated if increased pressure inside the skull is assumed - modern devices are such that they can lead to a sharp change in this indicator in violation of the integrity of organic tissues. This will cause serious complications of the tumor, when the pressure rises, brain tissue is pressed into the cranial opening and the brain stem is pinched. This provokes a violation of the functions necessary for the life of the body. Such a condition with a high degree of probability can cause coma, death.
How to treat?
If the patient is referred for a biopsy, usually doctors suggest combining the procedure with surgery if the neoplasm is subject to this method of treatment.For the event, specialized high-precision devices are used, and the doctor has access to a three-dimensional detailed image of the tissues inside the patient’s brain. Thanks to this accuracy, the needle can be guided extremely correctly, without harming healthy cells nearby. Modern methods are less traumatic, nevertheless, the possibilities of their application are severely limited.
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An operation is performed with the consent of the patient or his guardian, despite the risks if further growth threatens the patient's life. Even if the event cannot cure the patient, it will cause a certain improvement in the condition: the size of the neoplasm is reduced, and with it it will recede for some time and the manifestations of the disease. The patient can live longer, the quality of life increases slightly, and doctors have time for the use of alternative treatment options - chemotherapy, radiation. In some cases, they show a good result.