The list of the most serious and dangerous diseases known today includes brain cancer. Every year, this disease claims hundreds of lives around the world. Despite a lot of research and development in this area, a 100% effective treatment has not yet been found. This is explained by some features of the disease. However, even in cases where complete recovery does not occur, it is possible to achieve a long-term remission.
Basic concept of disease
Brain cancer is a malignant tumor that affects different departments and tissues. Among all oncological diseases, the frequency of its occurrence is 5-6%. Malignant tumors differ from benign tumors in their high growth rate and the ability to move to other organs. Depending on which part of the brain is affected by pathological cells, there are several diagnoses in medicine. They all belong to the big collective category “brain cancer.”
By the type of occurrence, this disease happens:
- primary - the focus of spread is a brain tumor(this variety occurs only in 1.5% of cases);
- secondary - they speak of secondary cancer in cases where the tumor is located in other organs and metastasizes to the brain.
According to statistics, patients with this diagnosis belong to different age categories, but most often brain cancer is diagnosed in older people and children.
Causes of brain cancer
The vast majority of cases are secondary cancers. It occurs due to the spread of malignant cells to the brain from other organs. In other words, the risk of developing this type of cancer increases significantly if the patient has oncology of the breast, kidneys, rectum, lungs, and skin. Metastases from other organs also occur, but this is much less common.
As for the primary type, doctors cannot name the exact causes of brain cancer. At the same time, some factors have been identified that may provoke the appearance of pathology. Among them:
- age over 50 years old is no secret that age-related changes are possible in the cells and tissues of the body in the process of aging;
- genetic predisposition - risks increase slightly if close relatives are diagnosed with brain cancer;
- consequences from exposure to radioactive radiation (it can be the action of nuclear weapons, radiotherapy and more);
- work with some chemical compounds.
Doctors note that those who have many bad habits are also at risk, these include smoking,excessive use of alcohol, drugs.
Types of malignant brain tumors
As noted earlier, brain cancer is the collective name for all malignant tumors localized in brain tissues. Among them are:
- neurinoma (affects the cranial nerves);
- glioma (occurs in nerve tissues);
- sarcoma (grows in connective tissue cells);
- pituitary adenoma (glandular tissues are involved in the process);
- meningioma (tumor of the meninges).
How brain cancer manifests
Unlike many other types of cancer, a malignant brain tumor begins to manifest itself almost immediately after the onset. In this case, the symptoms are divided into:
- focal (primary) - these symptoms of brain cancer are associated with the growth of the tumor, its pressure on the brain tissue and their destruction (these symptoms vary depending on the location of the neoplasm);
- cerebral - appear a little later and are explained by circulatory disorders and intracranial hypertension (increased intracranial pressure).
Focal symptoms
Isolate the main symptoms of brain cancer in this case is quite difficult, since they largely depend on which parts of the brain are affected by the tumor.
Sensitivity is impaired. This is expressed in the loss of perception of those stimuli that affect the skin (these are thermal, tactileand painful). Somewhat later, the patient may not perceive the position of his body in space.
Autonomic disorders appear. Patients complain of fatigue, constant weakness, dizziness. The doctor may notice frequent fluctuations in blood pressure and heart rate. Often observed in brain cancer and high temperature.
Mobility disorders. With the defeat of the pathways responsible for the transmission of impulses of motor activity, patients often experience paralysis and paresis. In this case, both individual parts (arms, legs) and the whole body can fail.
The occurrence of epileptic seizures. A focus of congestive excitation that has formed in the cerebral cortex often leads to convulsive seizures.
Vision problems. In the event that the tumor is located in the region of the quadrigemina or the optic nerve, the signal from the retina to the cerebral cortex does not arrive correctly (or does not arrive at all). With this development of the disease, partial or complete loss of vision occurs. Possible signs of brain cancer include the inability to perceive the movement of objects or recognize written language.
Partial or complete hearing loss. This symptomatology is manifested in the defeat of the auditory nerve. As a result, the patient loses the ability to recognize speech and sounds.
Coordination problems. The midbrain and cerebellum are responsible for coordination in space, therefore, when they are affected by a malignant tumor, coordination of movements is completely disturbed in a person. His gait becomes wobbly andunstable, without visual control, the patient cannot perform precise actions.
The appearance of hallucinations. These phenomena are usually quite elementary and do not carry any semantic load. So, the patient can see bright lights for a long time, smell strong smells or hear loud monotonous sounds.
Violation of psychomotor phenomena. Such symptoms of brain cancer can manifest themselves in different volumes: distraction appears, severe irritability, memory and attention deteriorate sharply. In especially severe cases, the patient completely loses the ability to navigate in space and time, does not identify himself as a person.
Manifestation of cerebral symptoms
Such signs of brain cancer may appear a little later, when the tumor reaches a significant size and provokes an increase in intracranial pressure.
Dizziness. With a decrease in blood circulation and squeezing of the tissues of the cerebellum, dizziness becomes a fairly common occurrence. Patients note that even at rest, there is a feeling that the body is turning or moving in any direction.
Headaches. This symptom is considered one of the characteristic signs of brain cancer. Moreover, headaches in brain cancer are significantly different from the usual ones - they are more intense, constant and practically do not subside after taking conventional non-narcotic analgesics.
Nausea and vomiting not related to eating. Usually the cause of this condition is increased intracranialpressure (with brain cancer this is a common occurrence). In especially severe cases, the patient is not even able to take water and food, since any foreign object that hits the root of the tongue instantly causes vomiting.
Stages of brain cancer
The period of development and growth of a malignant tumor (starting from its very appearance) in medicine is usually divided into 4 stages. Brain cancer (like all others) is differentiated depending on the size of the neoplasm and the presence of metastases. Metastases are understood as the spread of malignant cells from the primary focus to other organs (they can be both close and distant).
1 stage. During this period, there is a slow growth of the tumor, its size is still very small and does not exceed a few millimeters. The characteristic symptoms of brain cancer may not appear at all, but there may be mild dizziness, slight neurological impairment.
2 stage. This category includes malignant neoplasms that have entered the phase of active growth. The size of the tumor reaches several cm, while the cells go beyond the tissues in which they were originally located (the tumor grows into neighboring parts of the brain). Symptoms of brain cancer are more pronounced: nausea, dizziness, minor hearing and vision impairments.
3 stage. The tumor reaches a fairly large size and continues to grow actively. Nearby brain tissue is involved in the process. In most cases, metastases are observed at this stage of the development of the disease. The patient complains of numerous focal andcerebral symptoms.
4 stage. This stage refers to the period of the disease in which malignant cells spread throughout the brain (or most of it). The patient, in addition to focal symptoms of brain cancer, has severe headaches, sudden weight loss, depression and increased fatigue.
Diagnostic procedures
If one or more symptoms appear, the patient should contact the clinic as soon as possible. At the first stage, the examination is carried out by a neurologist. Its task is to identify the pathology and find the damaged area by characteristic features.
Initial reception. During the first appointment, the doctor examines the patient's medical history, collects data on complaints and he alth status. Various medical tests are commonly used to detect pathological conditions, such as a test for the presence of a knee jerk, skin sensitivity, muscle strength, visual and hearing levels, memory sense and coordination.
MRI for brain cancer, more precisely, if this disease is suspected, is a mandatory procedure. Such a hardware study makes it possible to check the state of the brain and identify the location and size of the tumor. Contrast radiography is another diagnostic method that allows you to complete the picture of the disease.
Encephalogram. This examination allows you to track the work of the brain and identify the problems that exist in a particular part of the brain.
Biopsy. This analysisprescribed last and only if a tumor was detected during the examination. With the help of a biopsy, the histologist can reveal the cellular structure of the neoplasm. In other words, it becomes clear what kind of tumor it is - benign or malignant.
Treatment for brain cancer
To fight this type of oncology is much more difficult than with a tumor of other organs. In this case, an integrated approach is used, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation exposure and radiosurgery. The task of doctors is not only to eliminate a malignant neoplasm, but also to prevent its reappearance. At the same time, in the early stages of brain cancer, treatment is faster, and the percentage of recovery is higher.
Surgery is the main way to treat a tumor. During it, the surgeon will have to remove pathological cells in full, but this approach is not always possible. This is especially true in cases where malignant cells have already affected a large area of brain tissue. In some cases, a course of chemotherapy or radiation is given before surgery to shrink the tumor.
Radiotherapy. This method of treatment is based on the effect of radioactive substances on the tissues of the body. Pathological cells have an increased sensitivity to such exposure, so their structure is destroyed, leading to the death of the tumor. Radiotherapy is prescribed in courses, the duration of which depends on the stage of the disease and the size of the neoplasm. This treatment is effective before and afteroperations.
Stereotactic surgery. This treatment is a more modern form of radiosurgery. It differs from the classical approach in its local impact. In other words, a beam with active particles acts directly on the tumor, almost without affecting he althy tissues. This allows several times to reduce side effects and increase efficiency.
Chemotherapy. This name hides the treatment with strong drugs, the action of which causes disruption of the work of malignant cells and their gradual destruction. The doctor selects medicines individually. These can be intravenous drugs or tablets, they are taken in courses. This treatment is quite effective, but has many side effects.
Recovery period. In addition to treatment, patients need a long recovery course for brain cancer: diet, visits to a speech therapist, psychologist, special physical exercises to restore motor activity. In some cases, even after a course of treatment, people experience epileptic seizures and convulsions. For this reason, doctors may prescribe regular medications.
Features of nutrition. During treatment, the patient complains of a complete lack of appetite, but nutrition should be regular and carefully balanced. This is necessary to replenish vitality and fight the disease. The diet must certainly contain cereals, as many vegetables and fruits as possible, fish andlean meat. However, there are some products that are best avoided altogether. These are smoked meats, spicy and s alty dishes, sweets.
Prognosis of brain cancer
For each case, the prognosis of treatment depends on several factors, including: the stage of the disease, the presence of metastases, the age of the patient and the localization of the neoplasm. With timely treatment (stages 1 and 2 of cancer), the survival rate for 5 years is 70-80%. If treatment was started at stage 3 or 4, then 10-30% of patients have a chance of five-year survival.
In other words, the effectiveness of treatment requires not only complex treatment, but also timely detection of the disease. What should every person remember? Brain cancer is a serious disease that is difficult to treat. In order to protect yourself as much as possible, you should take your own he alth as seriously as possible and seek medical help as soon as possible in case of any ailment.
