Brain and Spinal Cancer
explanatory Essay
800 words
The brain and spinal cord are the key components of one’s nervous system. They, like all other systems, are necessary to remain alive and functioning properly. The brain controls everything one’s body does, while specific parts of the brain control different elements of a body’s functions. Movement, balance, breathing, and senses are only examples of what the brain accomplishes on a daily basis. The brain keeps a human being alive. There are no single, known causes for brain and spinal cord cancer, and some patients that have contracted brain cancer have no identifiable risk factors, which are any conditions or substances that have any chance of increasing the risk of developing cancer. High risk factors of brain and spinal cord cancer include radiation exposure, as well as inherited conditions. An example of people with an increased risk with radiation exposure are those that have been exposed to radiation from atomic bombs, such as hiroshima and nagasaki. Other risk factors are cell phones, and a weakened immune system for any reason from having other diseases to taking drugs to suppress the immune system for other medical factors. There is not a way for one to reduce their chances of developing this cancer, though if you find yourself with theses symptoms, it may be a good idea to contact your doctor or another medical practitioner. Symptoms of brain and spinal cord cancer are not likely to show during the first stages of a tumour. When they do appear, it can be very gradual and worsening over a period of time, or they can appear suddenly. The symptoms of brain cancer can include headaches or seizures; digestive problems (nausea, vomiting, reduced appetite, etc); trouble with daily functions, vision, speaking, or hearing; ... ... middle of paper ... ...through mitosis; it is delivered either orally, intravenously, or directly into a tumour. Today’s scientific research and advancement in both knowledge, understanding, and battling of cancer, patients now have a better chance at successful treatment of their diagnosis, and living a longer, happier life in the face of cancer. Works Cited Mao, Y., M. Desmeules, R. M. Semenciw, G. Hill, L. Gaudette, and D.T. Wigle. "Increasing brain cancer rates in Canada." Canadian Medical Association Journal 145.12 (1991): N/A. Print. "What is a brain or spinal cord tumour?."www.cancer.ca. Canadian Cancer Society, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. . "Brain Tumor." Cancer.Net. Conquer Cancer Foundation, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. .
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the brain and spinal cord are the key components of one's nervous system. they are necessary to remain alive and functioning properly.
- Explains that there are no single, known causes for brain and spinal cord cancer. high risk factors include radiation exposure, cell phones, and a weakened immune system.
- Explains that symptoms of brain and spinal cord cancer are not likely to show during the first stages of a tumour, but they can be gradual and worsening over time.
- Explains that brain and spinal cord cancer rates have increased in canadians over the age of fifty in the years 1959 to 1988, which could be attributed to advances in diagnostic technology.
- Explains that the treatment of brain and spinal cord tumours requires the collaboration of multiple doctors to combine different types of treatments.
- Explains that scientific research and advancement in both knowledge, understanding, and battling of cancer gives patients a better chance at successful treatment of their diagnosis.
- Describes the different types of brain or spinal cord tumours in canada.
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- The Effects Of Brain Cancerexplanatory essayCancer is classified as a dangerous disease that is taking over the lives of many people, and families today. Cancer is known as a deadly disease that produces unwanted growth of cells in a certain area of a body. According to scientific and medical research, there are over a hundred different types of cancer out there, but each specifically classified by the cell that it is initially affected by. There can be many reasons that lead to cancerous growths in the body. Most believe it is in genetics and also that numerous environmental factors play a major role, but many doctors and scientists are still unaware of the cause of cancer till today. Cancer primarily starts to harm the body, shortly after damaged cells start to divide uncontrollably forming lumps or in other words, tumors, that may or may not be cancerous. There are patients diagnosed with lung cancer, breast cancer, stomach cancer and many more. In this paper, I would like to focus moreover on Brain cancer, a form of malignant cancer, my father was diagnosed with a few years ago, with all the treatments, and how it has affected his physical, mental, and emotional health.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that cancer is a deadly disease that produces unwanted growth of cells in the body. many doctors and scientists are unaware of the cause of cancer till today.
- Explains the symptoms of a brain tumor, such as twitching, repetitive jerking movements, muscle stiffness, and loss of consciousness.
- Explains that there are two types of brain tumors, malignant and benign, which can be surgically removed only once or twice.
- Explains that chemotherapy is the use of anticancer drugs that help to destroy remaining cancer cells after the surgical removal of the tumor.
- Explains that radiation therapy is a treatment for cancer patients, using high electric waves, such as x-rays and electron beams. it is an option for patients before or after chemotherapy.
- Explains that their father has been through three years of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, injection for white blood cells, and is at a point where all the treatments are not responding to the tumor.
928 wordsRead More - Brain Cancer In The Brainexplanatory essayAn adult central nervous system tumor is a disease in which abnormal cells form in the tissues of the brain and/or spinal cord. If A tumor starts in another part of the body and spreads to the brain then it is called a metastatic brain tumor. Because the brain controls many important functions in the body.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that an adult central nervous system tumor is a disease in which abnormal cells form in the tissues of the brain and/or spinal cord.
- Explains that the spinal cord connects the brain to nerves in most parts of the body.
- Explains that sometimes surgery or biopsy can't be done due to complications. certain factors affect treatment options & the chance of recovery (known as the prognosis).
- Explains that brain cancer can cause seizures that can result in death, and in humans it can be just as fatal. their dad underwent chemotherapy which didn't make his hair fall out, but made his skin go 20% lighter killing outer skin cells.
- Narrates how a small portion of his brain that contained the cancer cells was removed, but it spread across the brain again and there was nothing the doctors could do. he died naturally due to the spreading or by surgery.
- Explains that the brain has three major parts: the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem.
- Explains the different grades of brain and spinal cord tumors. they are based on the type of cell they are formed in and where the tumor first formed.
- Explains that grade 2 tumors grow faster than grade 3 & 4 tumor cells and have a small chance to spread into nearby tissue and it could come back.
- Explains that brain cancer is genetic and can be caused by other cancers. americans need to work together to destroy cancer all together.
- Opines that everyone in the world who is a doctor should work together to end cancer once and for all.
1053 wordsRead More - Brain Tumors Research Paperexplanatory essayRight now, in the U.S. there are 700,000 people living with brain tumors. It is estimated that 70,000 new cases will be diagnosed this year and 14,000 of those will lose their battle. (American Brain Tumor Association, ABTA, 2014). With these astonishing numbers, everyone should be aware of the seriousness of brain tumors. In order to try and reduce the number of fatalities from brain tumors there are some symptoms that we should all be aware of. Including, headaches, seizures, memory loss, depression, behavioral changes, and hearing or vision loss. If everyone knows to watch out for these symptoms, it is more likely that brain tumors can be caught in time to get treated.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that everyone should be aware of the seriousness of brain tumors.
- Explains that seizures are the most common symptom of brain tumors occurring in 60 % of cases and one of the first signs that something is wrong.
- Explains that headaches are a common symptom among brain tumor patients. tumor based headaches are worse when first waking up in the morning and then get better.
- Explains that memory loss is often caused by brain tumors, but short-term memory is affected the most. this can also be made worse by fatigue.
- Explains that about 25% of tumor patients suffer from severe depression. if not treated, depression can increase over time.
- Explains that behavioural changes are found in tumor patients fairly often, about half of all cases. they can be small things that only the patient notices, or more serious and obvious symptoms, such as obsessive compulsively behavior or socially inappropriate behaviors.
- Explains that brain tumors can cause hearing and vision loss due to the size and location of the tumor. it's important to catch, and treat, these cancers quickly to minimize the chance of these things happening.
- Opines that the sooner brain tumors are found and treated the greater chance of survival rate.
581 wordsRead More - Supratentorial Brain Tumors Case Studyexplanatory essay3. Infratentorial tumors occur in the posterior part of the brain primarily in the cerebellum or brainstem and supratentorial lie within the midbrain structures
In this essay, the author
- Explains the two types of brain tumors, infratentorial and supratentorial, and their location and size in relation to signs and symptoms.
- Explains that infratentorial brain tumors obstruct the flow of csf causing icp. supratentorial tumor symptoms include seizure personality or behavioral changes, visual disturbances, and hemiparesis.
- Explains that the nurse must assess for neurological dysfunctions and establish a baseline for pre and post-op comparing.
- Explains the importance of frequent vital signs positioning, fluid regulating, and medication administration to prevent post-op complications.
296 wordsRead More - The Importance Of Midlifeexplanatory essayIt afflicts men in the form of prostate cancer or colon cancer, and women in the form of ovarian, breast or cervical cancer. The common causes of cancer during midlife are due to hereditary or dietary inadequacies. Though cancer can hit anybody, regardless of their age, it is more likely to hit women after their menopause due to the varying hormonal levels.
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- Explains that the drop of stamina during the midlife leads to laziness and lack of physical activities. the sudden weight gain can make you more likely to suffer from diabetes.
- Explains that osteoporosis is common in middle-aged women due to low levels of estrogen after menopause. intake of multi-vitamin supplements is recommended to avoid the problem.
- Explains the importance of following a healthy lifestyle and eating nutritious diet to remain fit and healthy. midlife is associated with rapid aging processes and multitude of different health disorders.
- Explains that most people are susceptible to a number of heart ailments during midlife. these include high cholesterol levels, obesity, blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking.
- Explains that cancer is a deadly disease that strikes most people in their midlife. it is more likely to hit women after their menopause due to hormonal levels.
- Explains that the sudden changes in your appearance and the varying levels of hormones during midlife can trigger feelings of depression in most people.
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that eukaryotic cells are composed of many membrane-enclosed organelles that perform different functions inside the cell.
- Explains that there are several ways to prevent cancer, but some of the time cancer is a genetic defect that cannot be prevented.
- Explains that tumors are caused by mutations in several genes that regulate cell division.
- Explains that there are many varieties of current available treatment of tumors. surgery to remove or "debulk" as much tumor as possible is usually the first step in treating a brain tumor.
- Explains that radiation therapy targets the residual tumor with the goal of reducing its size or stabilizing it. for malignant lesions, microscopic cells remain in the surrounding brain tissue.
- Explains that chemotherapy interferes with the normal function of the tumor, working so that it doesn't receive all the genetic information it needs to grow and becomes sterile or cannot tolerate its environment.
- Explains that angiogenesis inhibitors interfere with the growth of tumor-associated blood vessels, effectively starving tumors of vital nutrients and oxygen. gene therapy involves the transfer of genetic material into a tumor cell to destroy or stop cell growth.
- Explains that tumor cells are not targeted, but newly forming blood vessels that will allow the tumor to grow by providing nutrients, are the target. targeting is achieved by using a nanoparticle with an attached ligand, and mutant raf genes.
- Explains how the avß3 integrin is specific enough to be used in melanoma treatment. they used three different tagging processes to determine its specificity.
- Explains the ras-raf-mek-erk pathway is used for signaling networks that govern proliferation, differentiation, and cell survival. researchers use the pathway as an agent for suppressing angiogenesis.
- Explains that ras and raf are proteins with major functions that pertain to growth control, including cell proliferation, transformation, differentiation, and apoptosis (cell death).
- Explains that when targeting melanomas, the researchers used a mutant form of raf-1 that failed to bind atp, thus blocking endothelial cell formation and thus angiogenesis.
- Explains that the mutant raf-1 was tagged with flag epitope. researchers put melanomas into the mice and left them there for nine days.
2081 wordsRead More - Johannesen TB, Angell-Andersen E, Tretli S, Langmark F, Lote K. Trends in incidence of brain and central nervous system tumors in Norway, 1970-1999. Neuroepidemiology. 2004 Jun;23(3):101–9.
In this essay, the author
- Summarizes the findings of the study, including patient/tumor features by age groups. twenty out of 102 (19%) tumors were malignant, with 85, 80, 65, and 55 percent survival rates.
- Explains that all of the 16 astrocytomas (11 male, 6 female) were intramedullary. five out of 16 tumors were malignant. the most important factor in predicting recurrence and survival rate was the histological grade.
- Explains that all 15 cases of meningioma (nine female, six male) were benign. surgical resection was the main mean of therapy.
- Explains that 34 nst tumors (17male and 17 female) made up 39% of all intradural cancers in the study. the 7-year survival rate was 85%.
- Explains that in the remaining 14 cases of pscts, 13 (93%) were pure extradural, including a wide variety of histologies. tumors were widely distributed across the spinal cord.
- Explains harrop js, ganju a, groff m, bilsky m. primary intramedullary tumors of the spinal cord.
- Summarizes the proceedings of the national institutes of health workshop on defining future directions in spinal cord tumor research.
- Cites kurland lt, schoenberg bs, annegers jf, okazaki h, molgaard ca. primary intracranial neoplasms in rochester, minnesota, 1935-1977.
- States schoenberg bs, christine bw, whisnant jp. the descriptive epidemiology of primary intracranial neoplasms: the connecticut experience.
- Explains kleihues p, cavenee wk. pathology and genetics of tumours in the nervous system.
- Explains schellinger ka, propp jm, villano jl, mccarthy bj. descriptive epidemiology of primary spinal cord tumors.
- Explains that stiller ca, nectoux j. international incidence of childhood brain and spinal tumours.
- Analyzes the epidemiology of pediatric tumors of the nervous system according to the who 2000 classification: a report of 1,195 cases from one institution.
- Describes the clinical presentation, histology, and treatment in 430 patients with primary tumors of the spinal cord, spinal meninges, or cauda equina.
- Narrates materljan e, sepci j, tuskan-mohar l, zamolo g, erman-baldini i. epidemiology of central nervous system tumors in labin area, croatia.
- Analyzes the trends in incidence of brain and central nervous system tumors in norway, 1970-1999.
- Opines that intramedullary spinal cord astrocytoma in adults: postoperative outcome.
- Explains that spinal cord gliomas: a multi-institutional retrospective analysis.
- Describes the primary intraspinal neoplasms in norway, 1955 to 1986. a population-based survey of 467 patients.
- Explains that primary spinal cord tumors (pscts) are classified into two major groups: extradural and intra- and extra-medullary.
- Describes the study of primary spinal cord tumors in isfahan province. diagnosis was established by biopsy followed by magnetic resonance imaging.
- Explains that of 23 spinal cord ependymoma (18 male and 5 female), 13 cases were cellular, and eight were mixopapillary. 90% of tumors were intradural intramedullary.
- Evaluates 102 primary spinal cord tumors diagnosed during the period 1992 - 2004 in isfahan, iran. nsts and ependymoma were the most frequent tumor types.
2113 wordsRead More - Glioblastoma Case Studyexplanatory essayI have chosen glioblastoma as my topic because my cousin Meghan has grade 4 glioblastoma. She had 2 emergency surgeries to save her life. The first surgery helped reduce swelling in her brain. The second surgery removed 95 % of the tumor from her brain. So far she is doing well and living a normal life.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that their cousin meghan has grade 4 glioblastoma and had two emergency surgeries to save her life.
- Explains that glioblastoma is a malignant brain tumor that can grow fast and spread in the brain.
- Explains that glioblastoma can be treated with chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. there is a new treatment called dichloroacetate, which can cause cancer cells to stop multiplying and die.
- Opines that fatty acids and vitamins may help fight against glioblastoma, while anti-inflammatory drugs and diets like a low calorie diet can help.
- Explains that stage 4 glioblastoma is a malignant brain tumor that can grow fast and almost always needs surgery. there is no cure for it, but with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, you can prolong your life.
367 wordsRead More - Smoking Brain Tumorsexplanatory essayIntroduction: Smoking has been shown to induce tumors in numerous organs and tissues but the association between smoking and brain tumors is not proved completely until now and there are very inconsistent studies about it. The etiology of brain tumors is not understood, in particular it is not known if exogenous chemicals are capable of causing human brain tumors. Whether smoking is shown to be a risk factor, it would determine an important proof of principle that exogenous chemicals are able to cause human brain tumor. Previous studies demonstrated that tobacco contain several carcinogens and also it was showed that neurocarcinogens can cross the placenta and cause different damages. Carcinogenics usually have more effect on fetus than the others, for the reason that central nervous system is excess sensitive in early stage of life.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that smoking has been shown to induce tumors in numerous organs and tissues, but the association between smoking and brain tumor isn't completely proven until now.
- Explains that a search for article using pubmed, google scholar, and science direct with the terms pregnancy, smoking, brain tumor, paternal and maternal smoking prior or during the pregnancy was performed.
327 wordsRead More - Pin Point Radiation Therapy Case Studyexplanatory essayBrenda had symptoms of a brain tumor. There are several symptoms of brain tumors and one of them is a severe headache that are usually worse in the morning. Nausea and vomiting, changes in speech, vision, or hearing, problems balancing or walking, seizures and numbness of the arms and legs. Brenda only had the severe headache and vomiting.
In this essay, the author
- Narrates how brenda's two girls took her to the emergency room in moline, illinois because of a severe headache. after the doctors checked her out, they realized she didn't have an infection. they decided to run more tests on her.
- Explains that brenda had symptoms of a brain tumor, including headache, nausea, changes in speech, vision, or hearing, problems balancing or walking, seizures, and numbness of the arms and legs.
- Describes how brenda's mri, intravenous gadolinium, spinal and biopsy tests help diagnose brain tumors.
- Explains that brenda's doctors decided to do surgery on her within a week. they told her two girls and her mother that they could not get all of the tumor.
- Describes the side effects of radiation therapy, which uses targeted energy to destroy cancer cells and gets rid of certain cancer-related symptoms.
- Explains that chemotherapy is the use of anticancer drugs designed to slow or stop the growth of rapidly growing cancer cells.
- Explains that brenda was in and out of the hospital a lot because of low blood counts, dehydration, and seizures. she had other side effects such as loss of hair, tired all the time, weak and sick to her stomach.
- Explains that medullblastoma is a rare brain tumor that affects speech, memory, and eyesight.
- Describes dr. chicoine's brain surgery at barnes jewish hospital in st. louis, missouri, which consisted of removal of the tumor and reconstruction of her head.
- Explains that after the surgery, they had to give her more radiation, but they could not do the same type of radiation she had the last time because her body couldn't handle it.
- Explains that dialysis is a treatment that keeps your body in balance by removing waste salt and extra water.
- Opines that the day in january changed brenda's life forever. she couldn't work again and spend much quality time with her daughters. brain cancer is a very serious illness.
1010 wordsRead More