The article will discuss the symptoms and signs of brain cancer. What is this disease?
Brain cancer is a rare disease and yet poorly understood. Often it is fatal. Moreover, as doctors say, a characteristic feature of cancer patients is almost always the extreme neglect of the disease, when the chances of a cure are much less than it could be. Find out what are the first signs of early stage brain cancer in adult patients.
Pathology Description
This is an extremely dangerous disease that is difficult to treat and can lead to the death of the patient. The greatest threat is the asymptomatic course of the disease. Basically, the fourth stage is distinguished by pronounced symptoms, but at this stage the disease is difficult to treat, and the prognosis for such people is disappointing.
The signs of brain cancer in women are not particularly different from the symptoms in men.
Confusion is possible
In this case, the symptoms with which the patient can consult a doctor can be easily confused with signs of other diseases. For example, headaches along with vomiting and dizziness in combination with visual impairment are often observed with migraines and hypertensive crisis. In addition, headache can be caused by osteochondrosis. In this regard, therapy depends on the level of qualification of the doctor to whom the patient seeks diagnosis. It is imperative that the specialist is able to timely detect dangerous symptoms and conduct the necessary examination, which can help identify cancer processes.
Tumor classification
Tumors in medicine are classified according to the tissues in which their growth appeared. So, a tumor that develops from the lining of the brain is called meningioma. A tumor that occurs in the brain tissue is a ganglioma or astrocytoma, and their common name will sound like neuroepithelial neoplasms. Neurinoma is a malignant tumor that affects the lining of the nerves of the skull.
Gliomas make up about eighty percent of malignant neoplasms, meningiomas are also referred to as common tumors, their doctors note in thirty-five percent of cases of brain oncology. Now we find out what are the main causes of this dangerous disease.
Signs of brain cancer are discussed below.
The main reasons for this kind of oncology
I must say that the causes of brain tumors have not yet been fully studied. As practice shows, in ten percent of cases, cancer is provoked by hereditary diseases of the genes. Secondary neoplasms arise due to the spread of metastases against the background of cancer of other organs. Today, doctors identify several causes of brain cancer.
- Genetic pathologies such as Gorlin’s syndrome, along with Bourneville disease, tuberculous sclerosis, and APC gene disorder can cause brain cancer.
- The weakened immunity that is observed after organ transplantation, as well as among AIDS patients, only increases the likelihood of the formation of tumors not only in the brain, but also in other organs.
- The first signs of brain cancer are much more common in women than in men. Race in this case also plays a role: white-skinned people are more likely to suffer from this disease in comparison with representatives of other races.
- The effect of radiation with carcinogens also entails an oncogenic hazard and is a risk factor for the appearance of brain cancer. At risk are people who are involved in hazardous industries, for example, in the industrial manufacture of plastics.
- Brain cancer is predominantly found in adults. And with age, the risk of a malignant neoplasm increases, and such a pathology is difficult to treat. Children also have a risk of such cancer, but typical areas of tumor localization are different: in adults, the cancer affects the lining of the brain, and in younger patients, the cerebellum may be affected. In ten percent of adult brain cancer cases, the neoplasm affects the pituitary gland with the pineal gland.
Secondary tumors are the result of other oncological processes that occur in the body: metastases penetrate into the skull through the circulatory system and contribute to the appearance of malignant neoplasms. Such tumors are often found against breast cancer and other oncological diseases.
The first signs of brain cancer
In brain oncology, the symptoms are of two types: focal and cerebral. Cerebral symptoms are typical for all cases of cancer, and focal symptoms directly depend on the location of the tumor. Focal symptoms can be very diverse, its type with severity depends on the area of ​​the brain that is affected by the disease, as well as on the functions for which it is responsible: whether it is memory, counting, writing, and so on. Among the focal symptoms of the brain, the following signs are distinguished:
- Partial or absolute violation of the mobility of some parts of the body along with loss of sensitivity of the extremities, distorted perception of temperature and other external factors. Everyone should know the signs of adult brain cancer.
- Changes that are associated with the personality: the patient’s character can change, a person can become quick-tempered and irritable, or, conversely, too calm and indifferent to everything that previously worried him. Lethargy with apathy and frivolity in making important decisions that affect life, along with impulsive actions - all this can be a sign of a mental disorder that occurs with this type of oncology.
- Loss of control over the bladder, difficulty urinating.
Common symptoms
For any tumors, common signs are characteristic (brain cancer is no exception), which are associated with increased intracranial pressure, and, in addition, the mechanical effect of the neoplasm on different centers of the brain. So, the following symptoms are observed:
- Dizziness with loss of balance. There is a feeling that the earth is moving out from under the feet, it can occur spontaneously and is an important symptom that needs to be diagnosed.
- Headaches are usually dull and bursting, but can have a different character. As a rule, they occur in the mornings before the first meal, in the evenings or after a psychoemotional load. Headaches can also intensify with physical exertion.
Signs of early brain cancer often go unnoticed for a very long time.
- Vomiting also occurs in the morning, this can occur uncontrollably if the position of the head changes dramatically. It can appear without nausea and is in no way associated with eating. In the presence of intense vomiting, there is a risk of dehydration, as a result of which the patient will be prescribed drugs that will block the stimulation of the corresponding receptors.
Many people want to know how brain cancer manifests itself. The first signs are not limited to this.
Other symptoms of brain cancer
Now consider the symptoms that occur already in the later stages:
- Partial or absolute loss of vision. Emerging flies in front of the eyes are a symptom that was provoked by the fact that the tumor presses on the optic nerve. In the absence of timely treatment, this leads to its death. As a result of such a process, it will be impossible to restore vision.
- The squeezing of the auditory nerve by the tumor causes hearing impairment in the patient.
- Epileptic seizures that occur suddenly. This symptom is characteristic of the second and later stages of brain cancer.
- The presence of hormonal disorders. Often observed with adenomatous neoplasm of glandular tissue, which is capable of producing hormones. Symptoms in this case can be very diverse, as with other diseases that are associated with hormonal imbalance.
- The defeat of the brain stem is characterized by a violation of the function of swallowing and breathing, in addition, the sense of smell with taste and vision is distorted. Despite the severity of the symptoms, which significantly spoil life and make a person inoperative and non-self-sufficient, brain damage can be minor and benign. But even a small tumor in this area can lead to serious consequences. For example, a displacement of the brain structure is possible, which will necessitate surgical intervention.
- A tumor in the temporal zone manifests itself in the form of the appearance of visual and auditory hallucinations, a neoplasm in the occipital region is characterized by a violation of color perception.
What signs of brain cancer can appear in humans, we now know.
Oncology Diagnosis
The types of diagnosis of brain cancer include the following procedures:
- Personal inspection by a specialist. As part of the initial examination, the doctor asks the patient to do a series of tasks that make it possible to determine a violation of coordination, tactile and motor function. For example, a doctor may ask you to touch your nose with your fingers closed or take a couple of steps after rotation. Neuropathologists check tendon reflexes.
- Magnetic resonance therapy is prescribed if there are deviations from the norm, which makes it possible to establish oncology at an early stage, determine the location of the neoplasm and develop an appropriate treatment plan. The first signs of brain cancer in each manifest themselves in different ways.
- Puncture of brain tissue makes it possible to detect the presence of abnormal cells along with the degree of tissue change, and this also makes it possible to clarify the stage of oncology. True, a tissue biopsy can not always be performed due to the inaccessible location of the tumor, in connection with this, this analysis is often performed when the neoplasm is removed.
- Radiography makes it possible to determine the presence and location of the tumor by the blood vessels displayed on the images, for this the contrast agent is previously introduced to the patient. Craniography reveals changes in the structure of the skull along with abnormal calcium stratification, which is provoked by the oncological process.
After diagnosis, the doctor draws up an individual therapy plan.
Signs of brain cancer in men and women depend on the stage of the disease.
The main stages of the disease
In view of the almost asymptomatic course of the disease, it is difficult to determine its stage precisely. This is especially difficult to do due to the fact that the disease passes from one stage to another quickly and unexpectedly. This is especially true of cancer in the brain stem. The stage of the disease is precisely determined only after a postmortem autopsy, in this regard, the slightest signs of pathology should be treated carefully from the very first days. Unfortunately, at the last stage, cancer is not amenable to surgical therapy, and, in addition, it reacts extremely poorly to drugs and other types of treatment. There are four stages in total:
- At the first stage, a small number of cells are affected by cancer; in this regard, surgical treatment is mostly successful. But detecting an oncological formation at this stage is extremely difficult, since the first signs of brain cancer in men and women are characteristic of a number of other diseases. Special diagnostics required.
- The transition of the process to stage 2 is characterized by an increase in the tumor, capturing nearby tissue and starting to compress the brain centers. At this stage, the tumor is still operable, but the chances of an absolute cure are significantly reduced.
- The third stage is characterized by a rapid increase in the tumor, and malignant cells affect healthy tissue. But, nevertheless, surgical intervention can give good results if the tumor is in the temporal lobe.
- At the fourth stage, surgical treatment is no longer carried out. Instead, palliative methods are used along with radiation therapy and drug treatment aimed at reducing the patient’s suffering through strong painkillers. The forecast in this case is disappointing.
Symptoms and signs of brain cancer in adults can be determined by a qualified doctor.
How many patients with brain cancer live?
In the framework of predicting the development of the disease and assessing the health status of patients with brain cancer, the concept of “five-year survival” is used. Patients who have been diagnosed with this disease are evaluated, regardless of the course of therapy used. After successful treatment, some patients live longer than 5 years, while others are forced to undergo regular therapeutic procedures. The average survival rate of people with tumors localized in the brain is thirty-five percent. As for malignant tumors, among which the majority are gliomas, in this case the survival rate is only five percent.
We examined the symptoms and signs of brain cancer.