Posts Tagged ‘brain tumor’
How to Recognize and Brain Tumor Symptoms
A tumor is an alteration in any type of tissue, which results in increased volume in a particular body part. The brain tumor, meanwhile, is an abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells derived from brain components (known as primary tumors) or tumor cells located in other areas of the body (called metastasis).
It is a disease of great concern, because the tumors in question may be malignant. However, it is noteworthy that in many cases it is benign tumor, which can be removed by surgery. The classification of tumors depends mostly on the speed with which they develop or are likely to heal themselves (resecting) or corresponding neoquirúrgico treatment. Besides this, it is essential to note that the severity of this problem is not so easy to distinguish between a malignant and a benign tumor because, for example, sometimes benign tumors can behave in ways that appear to be malignant.
Also do not forget that in many cases a successful treatment of this type related to brain tumors is linked to the speed with which it detects. That is why it is essential information about the symptoms of a brain tumor to be vigilant and go as fast as possible to a doctor.
If it is assumed that this is a brain tumor of some kind, the specialists will resort immediately to conduct imaging tests (such as computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging) that allow to tell if a tumor. In addition, possible knowledge of the size and localization. To determine the nature of the tumor, a biopsy should be performed to the patient in question.
Symptoms
Before listing the symptoms, it is important to note that these are manifested when brain tissue is destroyed, or when the pressure in the brain (note that this situation occurs with both benign and malignant tumors).
In general, symptoms begin to develop with some alterations in mental functions, such as slowing, apathy, headache, vomiting, nausea, unsteadiness, frequent seizures and even papilledema (swelling of the optic nerve due to pressure of the brain.) Notably, these are the most common symptoms, but there are other more serious that occur as the tumor grows and vary according to the localization. However, we will present the most common symptoms:
- Paresis (transient or incomplete paralysis)
- Crisis partial motor
- Aphasia (difficulty speaking)
- Apraxia (difficulty making certain movements)
- Agnosia (a situation in which the patient can perceive objects, but have difficulty relating to the function or role played)
- Visual field defects of vision (also called false symptoms of location, are caused by intracranial hypertension or the development of a cerebral herniation syndrome)
Types of Brain Tumors
We must not ignore the fact that there are many types of brain tumors, which are defined mostly by its location within the body. It is possible to distinguish between twelve different tumors, which are primary intracranial tumors, astrocytoma, glioblastoma multiforme, ependymoma, meningiona, primary brain lymphoma, medulloblastoma, hemangioblastoma (cerebellum), papilloma of the fourth ventricle, pinealoma, pituitary adenomas and tumors of the foramen magnum.
Cancer Treatment
Cancer is the term used to define a group of diseases having in common the conversion of a normal cell into a diseased cell, able to proliferate uncontrollably and indefinite, with no organization whatsoever and regardless of the work normally meet in the tissue to which it belongs.
As the tumor mass grows, it can alter the structure and function of normal tissues. Some transformed cells are able to invade nearby structures and spread to distant organs traveling through the bloodstream or lymphatic, where they can form colonies called metastasis. The potential to metastasize specifically characterizes called malignant tumors, benign tumors do not have the capacity to metastasize, but may still be a problem, less for their aggressiveness by their location: for example, brain tumor, even as benign and very slow growth, can not increase much in size without giving overt signals, and complete removal may involve a complex challenge. Some begin tumors, left to their evolution, come to becoming malignant.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Argentina: one of every four people diagnosed with this disease throughout his life. The predominant varieties in our country, in order of decreasing frequency, are: for men, lung cancer, colon and rectum (large intestine), prostate, leukemia and lymphoma, for women, breast, uterus (cervix and corpus uteri), lung, leukemias and lymphomas.