A guide to brain cancer
Like any other part of your body, your brain can have a tumour, which happens when cells grow out of control and form a solid mass. Because your brain has many types of cells, it can get many kinds of tumours. Some are cancer, and others are not. But because your brain is your body's control center, you have to take all of them seriously.
Most people who have brain cancer have secondary brain cancer, which means cancer in some other part of your body has spread to your brain. About half of all brain cancers start as lung cancer. Other cancers that can spread to your brain include breast cancer, leukemia, lymphoma and melanoma (skin cancer) etc. A much smaller number of people have primary brain cancer that starts in the brain or spinal cord. These tumours can grow quickly and sometimes spread throughout your brain, which makes them harder to treat.
Symptoms may depend on the kind of tumour you have and where it is, but you may act in ways you normally would not; feel sleepy throughout the day; find it hard to express yourself or feel confused; get bad headaches often, especially in the morning; have problems seeing, like blurred or doubled vision; lose your balance easily or have problems walking and have seizures.
You can get a brain tumour at any age. But they are much more common in adults over 50 than in younger people and children. You may be more likely to get a brain tumour if you have a weak immune system. The same is true if brain tumours run in your family or you have one of some conditions caused by problem genes.
Doctors generally do not do routine checks for brain cancer like they do for other kinds. You usually find out about it when you go to your doctor with symptoms and s/he does tests.
Every treatment has side effects, so if you have a tumour that is growing slowly and is not causing any problems, you may not need treatment at first.
You will get regular tests to keep an eye on the tumour and make sure it is not getting bigger or starting to cause new problems. The different options of treatment are surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and targeted therapy. Your treatment options and how well they might work tend to depend more on the tumour's type, size, and location, and your age than when you find it.
After treatment you will probably see your doctor regularly for tests to make sure the cancer has not come back. And because your brain affects pretty much everything you do, you may need help with everyday tasks, even if your treatment worked well you may need to get occupational therapy to get back to normal daily and work activities, physical therapy to regain your full movement and strength and speech therapy to help with swallowing and speaking.
Source: Web MD
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