Sarcoma of the brain is a malignant disease. It is characterized by the development of a tumor from elements of connective tissue. It can penetrate into neighboring organs. Sarcoma is a rare pathology, but it manifests itself at any age. The danger lies in the fact that the neoplasm is mainly detected in the later stages, when even surgical intervention is ineffective.
Medical certificate
Sarcoma of the brain develops exclusively from connective tissue elements. This distinguishes it from other similar pathologies. For example, Ewing's sarcoma of the brain and osteogenic sarcoma arise from bone cells. Kaposi's tumor originates in the elements of the vascular endothelium. Soft tissue sarcoma develops from fatty, muscular tissues. The pathology described in the article accounts for 2% of all cases of sarcomas.
She is aggressive towards neighboring organs, growing rapidly. Neoplasm canpenetrate into tendons and muscles, metastasize and recur. In the case of the spread of metastases, they speak of the development of a secondary oncological process. In this case, the patient's condition suddenly worsens. Clinical signs may appear as early as the second stage.
Classification of pathology
The development of a neoplasm directly in the parenchyma of the brain or its membranes indicates the primary form of the oncological process. The transfer of atypical elements from the lesion through the lymphatic and blood tract indicates a secondary variant of the course of the disease.
Depending on the location of the sarcoma can be intracerebral and extracerebral. In the first case, the tumor is a dense knot with indistinct boundaries, in which there are necessarily elements of calcification. Extracerebral pathology is distinguished by a clear capsule. It has the ability to quickly involve nearby tissues in the pathological process.
In addition, the following types of brain sarcoma are distinguished:
- Meningosarcoma. Always develops from the membranes of the brain. Does not have clear contours, shows a tendency to aggressive development.
- Angioreticulosarcoma. Their elements of the vascular walls of the brain arise.
- Fibrosarcoma. It comes from the fibrous tissue of the ligaments and layers of the brain. It is characterized by slow development and a favorable prognosis for recovery.
The achievements of today's medicine allow differential diagnosis of pathology, which greatly facilitates the selection of treatment tactics.
Main reasons
There are many reasons that affect the occurrence of brain sarcoma. Among them, the following are the most common:
- Genetic predisposition.
- Exposure to radiation.
- Past viral diseases, including herpetic etiology.
- Mechanical damage and brain injury.
- Before chemo or radiation therapy.
Most of these factors are quite controllable. A person is able to track them and prevent the transformation of the pathological process into a malignant course.
Clinical picture
Symptoms of brain sarcoma are similar to other manifestations of oncopathologies. The neoplasm makes itself felt by progressive cerebral and neurological signs. First of all, the patient suffers from severe headaches. Gradually, his hearing and vision acuity decreases, emotional disorders are observed. Every day the clinical picture only grows. Common symptoms for brain sarcoma are as follows:
- Regular headaches that cannot be controlled with medication;
- vomiting and nausea;
- impaired consciousness;
- deterioration of visual function;
- speech problems;
- epilepsy attacks.
The clinical picture of the pathology is largely determined by the localization of the neoplasm. It is able to put pressure on the structures of the gray matter responsible for certain functions. For example, finding a tumor insideventricles of the brain is accompanied by sharp jumps in intracranial pressure. Its location on the side of the temples causes hearing loss. If the sarcoma develops in the frontal and parietal lobes, this process adversely affects the motor apparatus and intellectual abilities of a person.
Development stages
After the inception, the pathology begins to progress rapidly. Its course is replaced by stages, each of which only worsens the patient's condition and reduces the chances of a five-year survival rate.
Sarcoma of the brain in its development goes through the following stages:
- First. The size of the neoplasm is 1-2 cm, there are no metastases. Severe symptoms are usually absent.
- Second. The tumor already extends beyond the brain and grows up to 5 cm. Initial symptoms of pathology may appear, but most patients ignore them and do not go to the doctor.
- Third. The neoplasm increases to 10 cm, metastases appear.
- Fourth. The tumor grows to an impressive size. It begins to gradually poison the body. The pathological process is most often not operable. The patient is unconscious most of the time. His motor and speech activity is impaired. The prognosis is poor.
Diagnostic Methods
An oncologist is engaged in the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of brain sarcoma. If symptoms of pathology appear, medical attention should be sought immediately. Diagnosis begins with anamnesispatient, his examination and questioning. External oncological signs are manifested by a bluish tint of the lips, yellowness of the skin, and severe exhaustion. Intoxication of the body provokes fever, weakness and lack of appetite.
Then they move on to instrumental diagnostic methods. The patient is prescribed a lumbar puncture to identify atypical cells and a biopsy. Computed tomography is also required. The boundaries of the neoplasm and the spread of metastases can be seen in the photo.
Cerebral sarcoma is difficult to confirm with lab tests alone. With this pathology, as a rule, there is an acceleration of ESR, changes in the lymphocytic formula. There are also signs of anemia.
After confirming the diagnosis, the doctor chooses the tactics of treatment. Modern medicine offers surgical and medical methods for eliminating pathology, as well as radiation. Surgical intervention is recommended with a convenient location of the onconode. If there is a risk of affecting neurological centers during this procedure, the tumor is partially removed and additional chemotherapy or radiotherapy is prescribed. Each of the treatment methods will be discussed in detail below.
Surgery
Surgery is performed under general anesthesia. Today, more and more doctors are resorting to craniotomy, a procedure during which the patient is conscious. After opening the skull, the patient is taken out of anesthesia for a while. They do this to determine the amount to be removed.brain tissue. During this time, the patient is asked to speak and answer simple questions to ensure that the speech is complete.
In an open operation, as a rule, the lesion is completely removed. The skull is fixed with a special clamp at three points and the brain membrane is opened. Using continuous neuronavigation, the doctor inserts microsurgical instruments and excised the neoplasm. If it is excessively large, pathological tissue is removed with the help of ultrasonic suctions. The fluorescent substance that is given to the patient before the operation greatly facilitates the procedure.
After the intervention, a follow-up check is mandatory by means of MRI or CT. Then the membrane of the brain and the wound itself are closed. After recovery from anesthesia, the patient is constantly monitored. After some time, the result of the operation is re-checked using MRI or CT.
Use of radiosurgery
Another method of treating sarcoma is radiosurgery using the CyberKnife. This procedure does not require an opening of the skull. The radiation beam is directed to the neoplasm. At the same time, he althy tissues remain practically untouched. Before each radiation, a CT or MRI control is carried out in order to determine the location of the tumor in case of accidental movement of the patient's head.
This treatment option has many advantages. For example, it does not require a craniotomy and anesthesia. After the procedure, the risk of complications is minimal, and there is no bleeding. However, radiosurgery can only remove smallneoplasm size.
Features of chemotherapy
Treatment of sarcoma is difficult to imagine without the use of chemotherapy, the main purpose of which is to destroy elements of the tumor. There is a blood-brain barrier in the brain. It protects both he althy and pathological cells from external influences. Therefore, before starting a course of chemotherapy, radiation is recommended.
Drugs are administered orally, into a muscle or vein before this treatment. After a course of therapy, adverse reactions from the body to the process of removing brain sarcoma are often observed. Symptoms can vary from nausea and vomiting to ulcerative changes in the oral mucosa.
Possible Complications
Sarcoma has a tendency to grow rapidly. This causes pressure from the tumor on nearby organs and tissues. As a result, their function significantly deteriorates. First of all, doctors refer to such complications as metastases. With sarcomas in the brain, they are usually diagnosed in the liver, lymph nodes and lungs.
Another unpleasant consequence is internal bleeding. It occurs due to the collapse of the tumor and is accompanied by intoxication of the body. At the same time, the patient complains of constant weakness and severe headaches.
Prognosis for recovery
Is brain sarcoma really dangerous? How long do they live with her? At the initial stages, full rehabilitation is possible, providedadequate therapy. If the development of the tumor corresponds to the third or fourth stage, the prognosis for recovery is poor.
According to statistics, with brain sarcoma, the survival rate for 5 years is 20%. The main cause of death is the significant size of the neoplasm. With successful removal of the tumor, disability is not excluded (impaired motor and speech functions, dementia, memory loss).
In almost half of the cases, sarcoma provokes relapses. This is due to the extraordinary aggressiveness of its elements and the impossibility of high-quality removal of the tumor. To prevent relapses, it is necessary to undergo an examination prescribed by an oncologist every 2 months after treatment. It usually consists of an ultrasound of the brain, an MRI and a CT scan.
Sarcoma most often develops in people over 60 years of age. Some types of tumor can be diagnosed in a child. Ewing's brain sarcoma is proof of this. Some chemical elements contribute to the accelerated growth of the neoplasm. These are vinyl chloride and dioxin. If a person is regularly exposed to these substances, the likelihood of pathology is quite high.
Prevention Methods
The main method of preventing any oncological disease is timely diagnosis. Therefore, every person who cares about his he alth should periodically undergo a complete examination of the body. In addition, it is necessary to try to eliminate the factors provoking pathology: frequent stress,irrational nutrition, self-medication, addictions.
