Brain Tumor Symptoms and Types

Brain Tumor Symptoms and Types

1. What is Brain Tumor?

A brain tumor or intracranial neoplasm occurs when abnormal cells from within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant or cancerous tumors and benign tumors. Cancerous tumors can be divided into primary tumors that started within the brain and those that spread from somewhere else known as brain metastasis tumors. This article deals mainly with tumors that start within the brain. All types of brain tumors may produce symptoms that vary depending on the part of the brain involved. These may include headaches, seizures, problem with vision, vomiting, and mental changes.The headache is classically worst in the morning and goes away with vomiting. More specific problems may include difficulty in walking, speaking and with sensation. As the disease progresses unconsciousness may occur.

2.2 Causes of Tumor

The cause of most cases is unknown. Risk factors that may occasionally be involved include a number of inherited conditions such as neurofibromatosis as well as exposure to the industrial chemical vinyl chloride, the Epstein-Barr virus, and ionizing radiation. While concern has been raised about mobile phone use the evidence is not clear. The most common types of primary tumors in adults are: meningiomas (usually benign), and astrocytomas such as glioblastomas. In children the most common type is a malignant medulloblastoma. Diagnosis is usually by medical examination along with computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. This is then often confirmed by a biopsy. Based on the findings the tumors are divided into different grades of severity.

Treatment may comprise some combination of surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Anticonvulsant medication may be needed if seizures occur. Dexamethasone and furosemide may be used to reduce swelling around the tumor. Some tumors grow up slowly, requiring only monitoring and possibly needing no further intrusion. Treatments that use a person's immune system are being studied. Outcome varies considerably depending on the type of tumor and how far it has spread at diagnosis. Glioblastomas usually have poor outcomes while meningiomas usually have good outcomes. The average five-year survival rate for brain cancer in the United States is 33%.

Secondary or metastatic brain tumors are more common than primary brain tumors, with about half of metastases coming from lung cancer. Primary brain tumors occur in around 250,000 people a year globally, making up less than 2% of cancers. In children younger than 15, brain tumors are second only to acute lymphoblastic leukemia as a cause of cancer. In Australia the average economic cost of a case of brain cancer is $1.9 million, the greatest of any type of cancer.

2. Symptoms of Brain Tumor

Signs and symptoms of a brain tumor mainly depend on the size of the tumor and its location. The symptom onset – in the timeline of the development of the tumor – depends in many cases on the nature of the tumor (as to it being benign or malignant), and in many cases is also related to the change in the nature of the neoplasm, from slow-growing, late-symptom-onset benign to faster-growing, early-symptom-onset malignant.

What is Brain Tumor Types and Symptoms?- Video

2.1 Symptoms of both primary and secondary brain tumors can be divided into three main categories:

Symptoms as consequences of increased intracranial pressure (often first noticed): Large tumors or tumors with extensive swelling (edema) inevitably lead to elevated intracranial pressure which translates clinically into headaches, vomiting (with or without nausea), altered state of consciousness (somnolence, coma), dilation of the pupil on the side of the lesion (anisocoria), papilledema (prominent optic disc at the funduscopic eye examination). However, even small tumors obstructing the passage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) can also present such symptoms. Increased intracranial pressure may result in brain herniation (i.e. displacement) of certain parts of the brain, such as the cerebellar tonsils or the temporal uncus, resulting in lethal brainstem compression. In very young children, elevated intracranial pressure may cause an increase in the diameter of the skull and bulging of the fontanelles.

Dysfunction: Depending on the tumor location and the damage it may have caused to surrounding brain structures, either through compression or infiltration, any type of focal neurologic symptoms may occur, such as cognitive and behavioral impairment (including impaired judgment, memory loss, lack of recognition, spatial orientation disorders), personality or emotional changes, hemiparesis, hypoesthesia, aphasia, ataxia, visual field impairment, impaired sense of smell, impaired hearing, facial paralysis, double vision, dizziness, but more severe symptoms might occur too, such as paralysis on one side of the body hemiplegia or impairment in swallowing. These symptoms are not specific for brain tumors – they may be caused by a large variety of neurologic conditions (e.g. stroke, traumatic brain injury). What counts, however, is the location of the lesion and the functional systems (e.g. motor, sensory, visual, etc.) it affects. A bilateral temporal visual field defect (bitemporal hemianopia—due to compression of the optic chiasm), often associated with endocrine dysfunction—either hypopituitarism or hyperproduction of pituitary hormones and hyperprolactinemia is suggestive of a pituitary tumor.

Irritation: abnormal fatigue, weariness, absences and tremors, but also epileptic seizures.

2.2 Types of Brain Tumor

Brain tumors can be classified into two general groups: primary and secondary.

Primary Brain Tumors

Tumors that originate within brain tissue are known as primary brain tumors. Primary brain tumors are classified by the type of tissue in which they arise. The most common brain tumors are gliomas, which begin in the glial (supportive) tissue. There are several types of gliomas, including the following:

Astrocytomas arise from small, star-shaped cells called astrocytes. They may grow anywhere in the brain or spinal cord. In adults, astrocytomas most often arise in the cerebrum. In children, they occur in the brain stem, the cerebrum, and the cerebellum. A grade III astrocytoma is sometimes called anaplastic astrocytoma. A grade IV astrocytoma is usually called glioblastoma multiforme.

Oligodendrogliomas arise in the cells that produce myelin, the fatty covering that protects nerves. These tumors usually arise in the cerebrum. They grow slowly and usually do not spread into surrounding brain tissue.

Ependymomas usually develop in the lining of the ventricles. They may also occur in the spinal cord. Although these tumors can develop at any age, they are most common in childhood and adolescence.

There are other types of brain tumors that do not begin in glial tissue. Some of the most common are described below:

Meningiomas grow from the meninges. They are usually benign. Because these tumors grow very slowly, the brain may be able to adjust to their presence; meningiomas may grow quite large before they cause symptoms. They occur most often in women between 30 and 50 years of age.

Schwannomas are benign tumors that arise from Schwann cells, which produce the myelin that protects peripheral nerves. Acoustic neuromas are a type of schwannoma. They occur mainly in adults. These tumors affect women twice as often as men.

Craniopharyngiomas develop in the region of the pituitary gland near the hypothalamus. They are usually benign; however, they are sometimes considered malignant because they can press on or damage the hypothalamus and affect vital functions. These tumors occur most often in children and adolescents.

Germ cell tumors arise from primitive (developing) sex cells, or germ cells. The most frequent type of germ cell tumor in the brain is a germinoma.

Pineal region tumors occur in or around the pineal gland, a tiny organ near the center of the brain. The tumor can be slow growing (pineocytoma) or fast growing (pineoblastoma). The pineal region is very difficult to reach, and these tumors often cannot be removed.

Secondary Brain Tumors

Secondary brain tumors are tumors caused from cancer that originates in another part of the body. These tumors are not the same as primary brain tumors.

 The spread of cancer within the body is called metastasis. Cancer that spreads to the brain is the same disease and has the same name as the original (primary) cancer. For example, if lung cancer spreads to the brain, the disease is called metastatic lung cancer because the cells in the secondary tumor resemble abnormal lung cells, not abnormal brain cells.

Treatment for secondary brain tumors depends on where the cancer started and the extent of the spread as well as other factors, including the patient's age general health, and response to previous treatment.

BRAIN TUMOR FACTS

Today nearly 700,000 people in the United States are living with a primary brain tumor, and more than 69,000 others will be diagnosed this year. Brain tumors are often deadly, impact quality of life, and change everything for patients and their loved ones.

• 688,096 Americans are living with a brain tumor.
• 550,042 tumors are benign
• 138,054 tumors are malignant
• An estimated 68,470 people will receive primary brain tumor diagnoses this year.
• 45,300 will be benign
• 23,180 will be malignant
• Male: 55.2%
• Female: 44.8%
• The average survival rate for all malignant brain tumor patients is 34.2%.
• Male: 32.6%
• Female: 44.8%
• An estimated 13,770 people will die from brain cancer this year

·         BRAIN TUMORS IN ADULTS

• The most prevalent brain tumor types in adults:
• Gliomas, such as glioblastoma multiforme, ependymomas, astrocytomas, and oligodendrogliomas
• Meningiomas

·         BRAIN TUMORS IN CHILDREN

• An estimated 4,620 children will receive brain tumor diagnoses this year
• The average survival rate for all children with malignant brain tumors is 66%

    ·   Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children under 14, and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children under 20.

·         The most prevalent brain tumor types in children:

o    Astrocytoma

o    Medulloblastoma

o    Ependymoma