Symptoms of a brain tumor, classification, treatment methods and other medical aspects of brain tumors

What are tumor formations in the brain( OGM)?

Neoplasms of the brain - a group of diseases of a neoplastic nature, affecting the membranes and structures of the human brain. With growth, the neoplasm occupies a rather large space in the cranial cavity, which prevents normal brain activity. The tumor can sprout and damage the healthy parts of the brain, at large sizes it compresses surrounding tissues, 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 the brain tumor directly depend on its location and can vary considerably from case to case. OCMs rarely form distant metastases, usually they are located within the brain and spinal cord.

Among the human population, neoplasm of the brain is not very often manifested - in 1.5% of cases of all tumor diseases. There is sexual and age-related dimorphism: for children, medulloblastomas and ependomas are most common; in adults, tumors are more diverse in morphological types( gliomas, astrocytomas, ependiomas, oligodendrogliomas, meningiomas, adenomas, neurinomas).Women most often develop meningiomas, and in males they have medulloblastomas.

General symptoms of the brain tumor

Symptoms of a brain tumor are conventionally divided into two groups: cerebral and associated with its location in this or that part of the brain.

General 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 congestive focus of excitation in the brain tissue( seizures of varying intensity right up to the epileptic arch).

Symptoms that depend on the position of the tumor are very diverse, the main ones are: disturbances in 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 a primary and a metastatic( secondary) OGM?

Primary neoplasms of the brain are formed in the brain tissue and rarely give metastasis to distant parts of the body. According to histological classification, they are divided into two classes: glial and non-glial tumors. Gliomas occur in the brain tissue, and non-glycos in other structures of the brain( pituitary, blood vessels, along the nerve trunks, etc.).Primary tumors, unlike secondary tumors, can have both a malignant course and a benign one.

Secondary or metastatic tumors always have their origin in a malignant tumor located in another part of the body. Metastatic cancer is the most common form of OGM, which, as a rule, has a severe course.

What is the difference between benign and cancerous brain tumors?

Benign BMMs are slow growing and can be completely surgically cured when they are in an accessible place. Malignant( or cancerous) tumors are characterized by aggressive growth and infiltration into the nearby healthy tissues, which makes it impossible to completely remove them. For unknown reasons, BMS of a benign character sometimes transform into malignant ones.

The World Health Organization has developed a classification of tumors by class, which reflects the degree of malignancy of the tumor and the rate of its growth - from the lowest degrees of aggressiveness to high.

Differences between benign and malignant OCM are ambiguous. Some benign neoplasms can be as dangerous as malignant ones if they are located in areas that are vital or difficult to access for treatment. Conversely, many malignant tumors can be successfully treated.

Despite the developed classification, OCMs are specific for each person and have completely different characteristics and growth patterns due to the molecular composition of individual tumors.

How are brain tumors treated?

Standard therapies for UXM include surgical treatment, chemotherapy and / or radiation therapy. Radioactive and chemotherapeutic methods are used as a secondary or auxiliary treatment for neoplasms that can not be cured exclusively by surgical methods. With inoperability of the tumor, these two methods are also selected.

Forecasts after treatment.

Further prognosis depends on the type of tumor, its location, extent of spreading to neighboring structures and selected treatments. Nevertheless, each case is individual and may have other factors that affect the life forecast.

The more a patient and his family knows and understands every 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 should understand that progress in modern medical science allows talking about the possible complete healing of any type of brain tumor. The belief in healing for every person is a powerful survival strategy that allows you to go beyond the present moment and hopefully look into the future.