In the article we will consider the symptoms and signs of brain cancer. What is this disease?
Cancer of the brain is a rare disease and at the same time little understood. It is often fatal. At the same time, as doctors say, a characteristic feature of cancer patients is almost always the extreme neglect of the disease, when the chances of a cure are much less than they could be. Find out what are the first signs of early-stage brain cancer in adult patients.
Description of pathology
This is an extremely dangerous disease that is difficult to treat and can lead to the death of the patient. The greatest threat is the asymptomatic course of the disease. Basically, the fourth stage is distinguished by severe symptoms, but at this stage the disease is difficult to treat, and the prognosis for such people is disappointing.
Signs of brain cancer in women are not particularlydifferent from the symptoms in men.
Possible confusion
At the same time, the symptoms with which the patient can go to the doctor are easily confused with signs of other diseases. For example, headaches along with vomiting and dizziness in combination with visual impairment are often observed in migraine and hypertensive crisis. In addition, pain in the head can be caused by osteochondrosis. In this regard, therapy depends on the skill level of the doctor to whom the patient turns for diagnosis. It is extremely important that the specialist be able to detect dangerous symptoms in time and conduct the necessary examination, which can help identify oncological processes.
Classification of tumors
Tumors in medicine are classified according to the tissues in which they have grown. So, a tumor that develops from the lining of the brain is called a meningioma. A tumor that occurs in the tissues of the brain is a ganglioma or astrocytoma, and their common name will sound like neuroepithelial neoplasms. Neurinoma is a malignant tumor that affects the sheath of the nerves of the skull.
Gliomas account for about eighty percent of malignant neoplasms, meningiomas are also classified as common tumors, doctors note them in thirty-five percent of brain oncology cases. Now let's find out what are the main causes of this dangerous disease.
Signs of brain cancer are discussed below.
The main causes of this kind of oncology
It must be said that the causes of the tumorthe brain is not yet fully understood. As practice shows, in ten percent of cases, cancer is provoked by hereditary gene diseases. Secondary neoplasms arise as a result of the spread of metastases against the background of cancer of other organs. To date, doctors have identified several causes of brain cancer.
- Genetic pathologies such as Gorlin's syndrome, along with Bourneville's disease, tuberculous sclerosis, and a disorder of the APC gene, can cause brain cancer.
- Weakened immunity, which is observed after organ transplants, as well as among AIDS patients, only increases the likelihood of tumor formation not only in the brain, but also in other organs.
- The first signs of brain cancer are much more common in women than in men. Race also plays a role in this case: whites are more likely to suffer from this disease compared to representatives of other races.
- The influence of radiation with carcinogens also entails an oncogenic hazard and is a risk factor for the appearance of brain cancer. At risk are people who are involved in hazardous industries, for example, in the industrial production of plastics.
- Brain cancer is predominantly found among adults. And with age, the risk of a malignant neoplasm increases, and such a pathology is difficult to treat. Children are also at risk of developing this cancer, but the typical areas of tumor localization are different: in adults, cancer affects the lining of the brain, while in younger patients, the cerebellum may suffer. ATTen percent of adult brain cancers involve the pituitary gland with the pineal gland.
Secondary tumors are the result of other oncological processes that occur in the body: metastases penetrate the skull through the circulatory system and contribute to the appearance of a malignant neoplasm. Such tumors often occur against the background of breast cancer and other oncological diseases.
Early signs of brain cancer
There are two types of symptoms in oncology of the brain: focal and cerebral. Cerebral symptoms are typical for all cases of cancer development, and focal symptoms directly depend directly on the location of the tumor. Focal symptoms can be very diverse, its type with severity depends on the region of the brain that is affected by the disease, as well as on the functions for which it is responsible: be it memory, counting, writing, and so on. Among the focal symptoms of the brain, the following signs are distinguished:
- Partial or absolute impairment of the mobility of some parts of the body along with loss of sensation in the limbs, distorted perception of temperature and other external factors. Signs of brain cancer in adults should be known to everyone.
- Changes that are associated with the personality: the patient's character may change, the person may become quick-tempered and irritable, or, conversely, too calm and indifferent to everything that previously worried him. Lethargy with apathy andrecklessness in making important decisions that affect life, along with impulsive actions, can all be signs of a mental disorder that occurs with this type of cancer.
- Loss of bladder control, difficulty urinating.
General symptoms
All tumors have common features (brain cancer is no exception), which are associated with an increase in intracranial pressure, and, in addition, the mechanical effect of the neoplasm on different centers of the brain. So, the following symptoms are observed:
- Vertigo with loss of balance. There is a feeling that the ground is slipping from under your feet, it can occur spontaneously and is an important symptom that requires diagnosis.
- Headaches are usually dull and bursting, but can have a different character. As a rule, they occur in the morning before the first meal, in the evenings or after psycho-emotional stress. Headaches can also get worse with exercise.
Signs of early brain cancer often go unnoticed for a long time.
Vomiting also occurs in the morning, it can happen uncontrollably if the position of the head changes dramatically. Able to appear without nausea and is in no way associated with food intake. In the presence of intense vomiting, there is a risk of dehydration, as a result of which the patient will be prescribed drugs that will block the stimulation of the corresponding receptors
Many want to know how brain cancer manifests. The first signs are not limited to this.
Other symptoms of brain cancer
Now let's look at the symptoms that occur in later stages:
- Partial or complete loss of vision. Flies that appear before the eyes are a symptom that was provoked by the fact that the tumor presses on the optic nerve. In the absence of timely treatment, this leads to its death. As a result of such a process, it will be impossible to restore vision.
- Compression of the auditory nerve by a tumor causes hearing loss in a patient.
- Epileptic seizures that come on suddenly. This symptom is characteristic of the second and later stages of brain cancer.
- Presence of hormonal disorders. Often observed with an adenomatous neoplasm of glandular tissue, which is capable of producing hormones. Symptoms in this case can be very diverse, as with other diseases that are associated with hormonal imbalance.
- The defeat of the brain stem is characterized by a violation of the function of swallowing and breathing, in addition, the sense of smell with taste and vision is distorted. Despite the severity of the symptoms, which significantly spoil life and make a person incapacitated and dependent, brain damage can be minor and benign. But even a small tumor in this area can lead to serious consequences. For example, it is possible to shift the brain structure,necessitating surgery.
- A tumor in the temporal zone manifests itself in the form of visual and auditory hallucinations, a neoplasm in the occipital region is characterized by impaired color perception.
What signs of brain cancer can appear in a person, now we know.
Oncology Diagnosis
Types of brain cancer diagnosis include the following procedures:
- Personal examination by a specialist. As part of the initial examination, the doctor asks the patient to do a series of tasks that make it possible to determine the violation of coordination, tactile and motor function. For example, the doctor may ask you to touch your nose with your fingers closed or take a couple of steps after the rotation. Neurologists check tendon reflexes.
- Magnetic resonance therapy is prescribed in the presence of deviations from the norm, which makes it possible to establish oncology at an early stage, determine the localization of the neoplasm and develop a suitable treatment plan. The first signs of brain cancer vary from person to person.
- Puncture of brain tissue makes it possible to detect the presence of abnormal cells along with the degree of tissue change, also thanks to this it is possible to clarify the stage of oncology. True, tissue biopsy is not always possible due to the inaccessible location of the tumor, in connection with this, this analysis is often performed when the tumor is removed.
- X-ray makes it possible to determine the presence and location of the tumor according to those displayed on the picturesblood vessels, for this the patient is first injected with a contrast agent. Craniography reveals changes in the structure of the skull along with abnormal calcium deposits, which are provoked by the oncological process.
After the diagnosis, the doctor draws up an individual therapy plan.
Signs of brain cancer in men and women depend on the stage of the disease.
Main stages of the disease
Due to the almost asymptomatic course of the disease, it is difficult to accurately determine its stage. This is especially difficult to do due to the fact that the disease passes from one stage to another quickly and unexpectedly. This is especially true for cancer in the brain stem. The stage of the disease is accurately determined only after a post-mortem autopsy; therefore, the slightest signs of pathology should be treated carefully from the very first days. Unfortunately, at the last stage, cancer is not amenable to surgical therapy, and, in addition, it reacts extremely poorly to drugs and other types of treatment. There are four stages in total:
- At first, cancer affects a small number of cells, in connection with this, surgical treatment is generally successful. But it is extremely difficult to detect an oncological formation at this stage, since the first signs of brain cancer in men and women are characteristic of a number of other diseases. Special diagnostics required.
- The transition of the process to stage 2 is characterized by an increase in the tumor, which captures nearby tissue and beginssqueeze the brain centers. At this stage, the tumor is still operable, but the chances of an absolute cure are significantly reduced.
- The third stage is characterized by the rapid growth of the tumor, and malignant cells affect he althy tissue. But, nevertheless, surgery can give good results if the tumor is in the temporal lobe.
- At the fourth stage, surgical treatment is no longer carried out. Instead, palliative methods are used along with radiation therapy and drug treatment aimed at reducing the suffering of the patient through strong painkillers. The prognosis in this case is disappointing.
Symptoms and signs of brain cancer in adults can be determined by a qualified doctor.
How long do brain cancer patients live?
As part of predicting the development of the disease and assessing the he alth status of patients with brain cancer, the concept of “five-year survival rate” is used. Evaluate patients who have been diagnosed with this disease, regardless of the course of therapy used. Some patients after successful treatment live longer than 5 years, while others are forced to undergo regular therapeutic procedures. The average survival rate for people with brain tumors is thirty-five percent. As for malignant tumors, among which the majority are gliomas, in this case, the survival rate is only five percent.
We looked at the symptoms and signs of brain cancer.
