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| BUDDHI Kumar SHRESTHA | unsplash |
A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of cells in or around the brain. It is also refer to as central nervous system tumor.
Brain tumors can be cancerous or not cancerous. Some may grow very fast; while some are slow-growing.
Only about one-third of brain tumors are cancerous. But whether or not they are cancerous, brain tumors can weakens brain function if they grow big enough to press on surrounding nerves, blood vessels and tissue.
primary tumors are the one that develop in the brain. but those that spread to the brain after forming in a different part of the body are those called secondary tumors
What Are The Types of Brain Tumors known?
Brain tumors are classified based on where they form and the kind of cells they involve.
Brain tumors that are noncancerous include;
Gangliocytoma: These tumors is associated with the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord. they are formed in the nerve cells
Meningioma: These are the most common type of primary brain tumors. they develop slowly. formed in the meninge. In rare cases, a this type of tumor can be harmful.
Pineocytoma: These slow-growing tumors are formed in the pineal gland, which is located deep in the brain, and secretes the hormone melatonin which is involved in sleep and wake reproductive cycle in mammals
Pituitary adenoma: These type of tumors are formed in the pituitary gland, located at the base of the brain. This gland makes and controls hormones in the body.
Acoustic neuroma: These tumors occur on the nerve that leads from the inner ear to the brain. they are also called vestibular schwannomas.
Chordoma: These slow-growing tumors typically start at the base of the skull and the bottom part of the spine. They can be mostly remove or not
Hemangioblastomas: they are slow-growing tumors, commonly located in the cerebellum. They originate from blood vessels, can be large in size. These tumors are most common in people of ages 40 to 60 and are more prevalent in men than women.
Rhabdoid tumors:these type of tumor are rare, they tend to spread throughout the central nervous system. They often appear in multiple sites in the body, especially in the kidneys. They are more prevalent in young children, but also can occur in adults.
Pediatric Brain Tumors typically come from different tissues than those affecting adults. Treatments that are fairly well-tolerated by the adult brain (such as radiation therapy) may prevent normal development of a child's brain, especially in children younger than age five.
Possible Causes a Brain Tumor?
The cause of most brain tumors are not certain changes or defects in genes may cause cells in the brain to divide uncontrollably, causing a tumor.
he only known environmental cause of brain tumors is the exposure to large amounts of radiation from X-rays or previous cancer treatment. Some brain tumors occur when hereditary conditions are passed down among family members.
Brain tumors are thought to arise when certain genes on the chromosomes of a cell are damaged and no longer function properly. These genes normally regulate the rate at which the cell divides (if it divides at all) and repair genes that fix defects of other genes, as well as genes that should cause the cell to self-destruct if the damage is beyond repair.
What Are The Symptoms of Brain Tumor?
Symptoms vary depending on where the of the tumor is, but the following symptoms may accompany different types of brain tumors:
- Seizures or convulsions
- Difficulty thinking, speaking or articulating
- Personality changes
- Weakness or paralysis in one part or one side of the body
- Loss of balance or dizziness
- Headaches that may be more severe in the morning or awaken the patient at night
- Hearing changes
- Facial numbness or tingling
- Nausea or vomiting, swallowing difficulties
- Confusion and disorientation
- Vision changes
Brain tumor treatment depends on the tumor’s location, the size and type. combination of therapies are often use to treat a tumor.
This Treatments Include;
Surgery: When possible, surgeons remove the tumor. They work very carefully, sometimes doing surgery when you are awake, to minimize damage to functional areas of the brain.
Radiation therapy: High doses of X-rays destroy brain tumor cells or shrink the tumor. Some people have radiation before surgery to shrink a brain tumor so that the surgeon can remove less tissue.
Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy, also called biological therapy, is a type of treatment that uses your body's own immune system to fight cancer. The therapy mainly consists of stimulating the immune system to help it do its job more effectively.
Targeted therapy: Drugs target specific features in cancer cells without harming healthy cells. Your doctor may recommend targeted therapy if you have trouble tolerating the side effects of chemotherapy, such as fatigue and nausea.
Chemotherapy: Anti-cancer drugs kill cancer cells in the brain and throughout the body. You might receive chemotherapy through an injection into a vein or take as a pill. In some cases, doctors use chemotherapy before surgery to make the tumor smaller. Your doctor may recommend chemotherapy after surgery to kill any cancer cells left behind or to prevent remaining tumor cells from growing.
A brain tumor cannot prevented. You reduce your risk of developing a brain tumor by avoiding environmental hazards such as smoking and excessive exposure to radiation