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There are more than 100 types of brain tumor. All brain cancers are brain tumors but not all brain tumors are brain cancers. They may be benign (or noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous).However unlike most other parts of the body evens the no cancerous brain tumors can be sometimes dangerous and need treatment because of their size or location.
Benign brain tumors typically grow slowly and rarely spread. But they can still be dangerous by compressing and damaging other parts of the brain causing severe dysfunction. If located in a vital area of the brain they can be life-threatening. Examples of typically benign tumors include meningioma and vestibular schwannoma.
Malignant brain tumors are cancerous. They typically grow rapidly and invade surrounding healthy brain structures. Brain cancer can be life-threatening due to the changes it causes to the vital structures of the brain. Examples of malignant tumors include Glioblastoma multiformae, Astrocytoma, ependymoma and medulloblastoma.
Brain tumors can also be classified as primary and secondary. Primary brain tumors are tumors that start in the brain. Examples of tumors that most often originate in the brain include meningioma and glioma. Very rarely, these tumors can break away and spread to other parts of the brain and spinal cord.
More commonly, tumors spread to the brain from other parts of the body. It is known as Metastatic brain tumor or secondary brain tumors. These are malignant tumors that originate as cancer elsewhere in the body and then spread to the brain. Common cancers that can spread to the brain are breast cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, kidney cancer, skin cancer (melanoma).
Brain tumors can develop in any part of the brain including its protective lining called menignges and are often named after the type of cell of their origin. Like gliomas (from glial cells), astrocytomas (from astrocytes), ependymomas (from ependymal cells), menigomans (from meninges). They can also be classified according to their location like brain stem tumors, intraventriclar tumors etc.
The symptoms of brain tumors include headaches, nauseas , vomiting, seizures or convulsions, difficulty thinking, speaking or finding words, personality or behavioral changes, weakness, numbness or paralysis in one part or one side of the body, loss of balance, dizziness or unsteadiness, loss of hearing, vision changes, confusion, disorientation and memory loss.
In most people with primary brain tumors, the cause isn't clear. But there are a few risk factors associated with brain tumors like family history and inherited syndromes like neurofibromatosis 1 and 2, tuberous sclerosis, Li-Fraumeni syndrome and exposure to high energy ionizing radiation like the ones used to treat cancer and caused by atomic bombs. It is important to note that there is no evidence of linking low-level radiation from everyday objects cell phones and microwaves to brain tumors.
Unlike cancers in other parts of the body, primary brain cancers are not staged according to their size and spread .Instead grading of brain tumors determine their prognosis. They are graded using a scale from 1 (least aggressive) to 4 (most aggressive).
Proper diagnosis is essential in determining the best course of treatment. Diagnosing a brain tumor usually involves a neurological exam, brain scans (CT scan and MRI ) and a biopsy, if it can be done safely.
Depending on the symptoms, other tests that may be performed are lumbar puncture, r electroencephalography (EEG) to measure electrical activity in the brain, neurocognitive assessment to evaluate any changes in cognition and well-being, neuro-ophthalmological examination to assess for signs of tumor affecting the eyes and endocrinological evaluation to assess hormone function.
The most common treatment for brain tumors is surgery. For some tumors, surgical removal and continued monitoring may be the only treatment needed. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy can be used to treat brain cancer by helping shrink the tumor, slowing down its growth and/or preventing it from coming back. External beam radiation therapy, stereotactic radiosurgery and proton therapy are some of the radiation treatments for brain tumor.
