Despite the fact that science regularly provides more and more new medicines and other ways to cure ailments, cancer mortality is still high. Especially among all malignant formations, brain cancer of the 4th degree stands out, since it is almost impossible to cure it. Earlier diagnosis of the problem is also difficult, since the tumor does not manifest itself until the moment when it can be too late. In the presence of neoplasms in the head, a person can only suffer from increased intracranial pressure. How many live with brain cancer grade 4? Only a doctor can answer this question after a full examination of the patient.
Tumor classification
Difficulties in diagnosing this disease are manifested in the fact that a tissue biopsy is simply impossible for technical reasons. Doctors determine the presence of the disease solely by external signs, symptoms and complications, which are sometimes similar to other ailments. Brain cancer of the 4th degree prognosis gives a disappointing, the risk of a sad outcome is very high. Today, doctors determine the stage of the disease according to the classification adopted in 2000 by the World Health Organization. Previously, the presence of metastases, secondary and primary lesions was a criterion.
Varieties 4 degrees
How can a brain tumor of degree 4 manifest itself? How many patients with this disease live?
The ailment is divided into three varieties:
- classic malignancy;
- malignancy with uncharacteristic symptoms;
- malignant formation fast-growing.
The latter option almost always ends with a fatal outcome for the patient, since the tumor propagation rate is very high, and the disease is usually diagnosed in the later stages.
Variety Signs
Grade 4 brain tumor, specialists diagnose and refer to a specific subspecies according to the following criteria:
- Initially, doctors study the features of neoplasm cells.
- After this, special tests calculate the rate of cell division.
- Further, experts determine how quickly cancer spreads in the blood vessels and lymph nodes.
- The last step is the calculation of dead cells in the tissues of the neoplasm.
If, in a detailed study of cancer, doctors did not find any of these criteria, then the neoplasm is considered benign. The presence of a third or fourth symptom in a patient suggests that he has grade 4 cancer of the brain. How many people live with such a diagnosis depends on the characteristics of the disease and the specifics of its treatment.
Flow options
It also happens that the disease does not go through all the stages of its development from the beginning, but immediately develops in the most severe form. Such an aggressive variety is glioblastoma. With this form of pathology, the prognosis is very disappointing. How many live with grade 4 cancer of the brain in the case of an aggressive course of the disease? The answer to this question can only be given by a doctor. As a rule, even with adequate treatment, this time does not exceed 1 year.
Photos of brain cancer of 4 degrees can not but upset. Basically, these are tomograms of sick people, where it is clearly visible that a tumor can occur in completely different areas of the nervous system and always develops with its own characteristics. It is finally possible to determine the stage of a tumor only after removal of its primary focus and histological examination.
How is the disease?
How many patients live with brain cancer grade 4? This question needs to be considered individually for each specific case. The disease is quite rare and occurs only in 1 out of a thousand people. The tumor can be inherited or arise due to adverse environmental conditions. Even in the case of a genetic transmission of the disease, tumor formation will never be the same. The focus can be localized in a completely different area than in relatives.
In the event of any, even the most insignificant signs, hinting at the presence of a neoplasm in the body, you should immediately consult a doctor. It is the complexity of the diagnosis that leads to such sad mortality statistics. The initial stages of cancer formation are rarely accompanied by any symptoms. Often, while the patient undergoes all the necessary studies, the tumor already moves to the last stage of development, when treatment by any means can no longer give a 100% guarantee of recovery. Even with these statistics, do not give up. Of course, after treatment, a person’s life changes dramatically, but with the timely detection of cancer, everyone has a chance to recover.
Principles of Therapy
Basically, all treatment methods boil down to alleviating the symptoms that accompany the disease, since headaches in the last stages become simply unbearable. To stop them, experts prescribe potent drugs. Although already from the 3rd stage the tumor is considered inoperable, specialists still undertake treatment in more advanced cases.
Three treatment methods are distinguished:
- chemotherapy;
- surgery;
- radiation therapy.
Drug treatment
How many patients with cancer of the 4th degree of the brain live? Only an expert can accurately answer this question. You should know that cancer is not treated exclusively with drugs, and this technique is aimed only at relieving the patient of the symptoms associated with the disease. The main drug in the treatment is Prednisolone, which relieves cerebral edema. It is a glucocorticoid substance. An additional symptom in the disease may be morning nausea and vomiting, which are eliminated by taking antiemetics. Severe headaches stop with morphine or non-steroidal painkillers, and possible mental abnormalities with sedatives, tranquilizers, etc.
Surgery
Surgery is the most effective method to get rid of a tumor. Unfortunately, there is a big risk of damage to brain structures during the intervention. There are cases when surgical intervention is impossible in principle, since the neoplasm is located next to an important part of the center of the nervous system or is too large. In this case, cryosurgery comes to the rescue. It makes it possible to freeze a tumor without removing it, completely without injuring neighboring healthy tissues. In the treatment of brain tumors, a gamma knife, a laser, and other advanced techniques are actively used.
Chemotherapy and radiation
Very often, these techniques are used together with surgical treatment, since such a complex effect on malignant tumors gives the best result. Drugs are administered intravenously along with antiemetics, since a chemical effect on the body always provokes an upset digestive system.
Cancer tissue is irradiated partially or completely to the entire brain if the tumor has already grown to large sizes and metastasis has begun. Radiation therapy is poorly tolerated by patients and should be accompanied by additional medication.
Prognosis for patients
With cancer of the 4th degree of the brain, how many patients live? With timely diagnosis of the disease, patients always have a chance of recovery, but there are situations when the forecasts are disappointing. Such cases include glioblastoma, which manifests itself, already being in the last stage of development. This tumor is not treatable, it is resistant to chemicals and radiation therapy, it grows very quickly and is actively developing. Its outlines are fuzzy, so even surgical intervention does not guarantee a complete removal of cancerous tissues. A few months after surgery, relapse often occurs.
Even modern medicine is not able to cure glioblastoma in the last stage. Patients with this diagnosis can live no more than 1 year, constantly undergoing treatment. If therapy is completely ignored, then death occurs within a few months.
Chances of recovery
When diagnosing brain cancer and assessing the general condition of a patient, doctors use the term “five-year survival”. The condition of absolutely all patients with a malignant tumor is evaluated, regardless of what course of treatment was prescribed to them. With the right treatment program, the survival of some patients exceeds the five-year threshold, but in most cases they need constant treatment.
According to statistics, only about 35% of patients with brain cancer will continue to live normally after therapy. If the tumor caused complications, the prognoses are less comforting, since only 5% of patients survive.
Even if there is a glioblastoma in the body, a person has a chance for a full recovery, but only if the tumor is detected in the initial stages of development. Late diagnosis always has sad consequences, so patients and their relatives need to provide maximum psychological support. The tumor, growing, disrupts the functioning of the nervous system, provokes severe headaches and makes a person completely helpless.
With grade 4 brain cancer, how do patients die? In fact, it is painful; it is very difficult for relatives to survive such a sight. Patients constantly suffer from unbearable headaches, which in recent days do not go away even after taking the drugs. Their mental activity is completely impaired.
In order not to encounter such a problem, especially if one of the relatives had previously been diagnosed with cancer, it is necessary to undergo a comprehensive examination periodically. If severe headaches, nausea, or other likely signs of a tumor appear, you should immediately go to the doctor. Always monitor your health, because it is impossible to buy it for any money.