By Dr. Ravindra Patil
Searching for information on Google is fun. It gives useful as well as useless information. Collating useful information is, of course, useful. Here are some facts about brain tumour. Let’s begin with brain tumour break up between men and women and cancerous and non-cancerous tumours.
Read on till the end to find the most heartening fact about brain tumours.
Survival for all types of cancerous (malignant) brain tumour:
Brain tumours are dangerous because they can put pressure on healthy parts of the brain or spread into those areas. Some brain tumours can also be cancerous or become cancerous. They can cause problems if they block the flow of fluid around the brain, which can lead to an increase in pressure inside the skull.
Some brain tumours grow very slowly (low grade) and cannot be cured. Depending on your age at diagnosis, the tumour may eventually cause your death. Or you may live a full life and die from something else. It will depend on your tumour type, where it is in the brain, and how it responds to treatment.
Survival for patients with benign tumours is usually much better but, in general, survival rates for all types of brain cancers, benign and malignant, are: About 70% in children. For adults, survival is related to age.
Primary brain tumours begin when normal cells develop changes (mutations) in their DNA. A cell’s DNA contains the instructions that tell a cell what to do. The mutations tell the cells to grow and divide rapidly and to continue living when healthy cells would die.
No, being stressed doesn’t directly increase the risk of cancer. The best quality studies have followed up many people for several years. They have found no evidence that those who are more stressed are more likely to get cancer.
So do not stop thinking, use your mind for creative things.
They most often develop in children ages 5 to 8. Also called low-grade gliomas, these are the most common brain tumours in children. Medulloblastomas are the most common type of childhood brain cancer. Most medulloblastomas occur before age 10.
In its early stages, a brain tumour may have no noticeable symptoms. It’s only when it grows large enough to put pressure on the brain or nerves in the brain that it can start to cause headaches. The nature of a brain tumour headache is different from a tension or migraine headache in some noticeable ways.
They are often described as dull, “pressure-type” headaches, though some patients also experience sharp or “stabbing” pain. They can be localized to a specific area or generalized. They can be made worse with coughing, sneezing or straining.
Dark, leafy greens. Spinach, kale and arugula are all great sources of inflammation reducing minerals, which aid disease-fighting cells to help support your immune system. When paired with fatty nuts and oils, they can be quickly absorbed into your system. Although it is good advice, it is not a proven method of preventing brain tumours.
Because different areas of the brain control different functions of the body, where the tumour lies affects the symptoms you get. Some tumours have no symptoms until they’re large and then cause a serious, rapid decline in health. Other tumours may have symptoms that develop slowly.
Outlook. The outlook for a malignant brain tumour depends on things like where it is in the brain, its size, and what grade it is. It can sometimes be cured if caught early on, but a brain tumour often comes back and sometimes it isn’t possible to remove it.
Their most common locations are the base of the skull and the lower portion of the spine. Although these tumours are benign, they may invade the adjacent bone and put pressure on nearby neural tissue.
In one study that followed more than 420,000 cell phone users over a 20-year period, researchers found no evidence of a link between cell phones and brain tumours.
Brain tumours can start at any age. But as we get older our risk of developing most cancers, including brain tumours, increases. The risk of brain tumours is greatest in those aged between 85 and 89 years.
Can brain tumours be prevented? Unfortunately, you can’t prevent a brain tumour. You can reduce your risk of developing a brain tumour by avoiding environmental hazards such as smoking and excessive radiation exposure.
It is very rare for brain tumours to run in families. A small number of inherited genetic conditions are linked to a higher risk of certain types of brain tumour.
For most individuals, a brain tumour headache is localized to a specific area and is typically worse in the early morning or at night. They can be dull, pressure-like headaches that are made worse by coughing or sneezing. Over time, these headaches stop responding to over-the-counter medication.
They emerge at night, while we sleep unaware, growing and spreading out as quickly as they can. And they are deadly. In a surprise finding that was recently published in Nature Communications, Weizmann Institute of Science researchers showed that night-time is the right time for cancer to grow and spread in the body.
It is very rare for brain tumours to run in families. A small number of inherited genetic conditions are linked to a higher risk of certain types of brain tumour.
So if you have a close relative with brain tumour, it does not mean you may have it.
When cells grow old or become damaged, they die, and new cells take their place. Sometimes this orderly process breaks down, and abnormal or damaged cells grow and multiply when they shouldn’t. These cells may form tumours, which are lumps of tissue. Tumours can be cancerous or not cancerous (benign).
Brain tumour symptoms can develop in people of all ages – including teens. In recent years, nearly 13% of all new brain cancers were diagnosed in patients under the age of 20, and another 9% were diagnosed in patients between the ages of 20 and 34.
This is a question that may sometimes make you worry. Remember, if the pain lasts or recurs, you may wonder if you have a serious problem such as a brain tumour. Here’s the reassuring truth: Headache, by itself, is rarely caused by a tumour.
Brain tumours are rare — less than 1 percent of the population is diagnosed with a malignant (cancerous) brain tumour during their lifetime.
But any signs or symptoms suggesting brain tumours MUST BE FOLLOWED UP. BECAUSE IGNORING BRAIN TUMOURS IS THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO!
Samarth Neuro and Superspeciality Hospital has 100+ beds & specializes in emergency surgery for neurological issues/disorders & diagnostics.
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