A Brain Tumor is a mass of abnormal cells that vary in size. They can also be classified as Benign or Malignant. Benign Tumors are non-cancerous, and have definite borders that make removal of the entire mass possible. On the other hand, Malignant (Cancerous) Brain Tumors spread, aggressively invading nearby tissue, and have a higher chance of recurring after surgical removal.
There are two types of Malignant Brain Tumors: Primary, and Secondary (Metastatic). Primary Brain Tumors begin in the brain, or in nearby tissues such as the meninges, cranial nerves, pituitary gland, or pineal gland. A Primary Brain Tumor begins from a mutation in the DNA. Metastatic Brain Tumors are more common, and occur from having had cancer in another part of the body, which spread to the brain.
Though direct causes are not fully understood, there are a few risk factors:
1. Age; Individuals who are over the age of 65 are 4x likely to be diagnosed with a brain tumor than younger adults.
2. Family History of Brain Tumors; genetics makes up a small portion of reported cases of brain tumors, but can incre...
After seeing his physician, he told him that he had some of the common symptoms of a brain tumor. Brain tumors have a variety of symptoms ranging from headache to stroke. Seizures may be the initial manifestation of a brain tumor, and eventually as many as 30% of patients with brain tumors will develop seizures. Gradual loss of movement or sensation in an arm or leg may occur. Unsteadiness or imbalance, and double vision may occur, especially if it is associated with headache.
Glioblastomas (GBM) are tumors that arise from the supportive tissues of the brain. These supportive tissues are composed of astrocytes, star-shaped glial cells that play a very important role in neural functioning. Glioblastomas are highly malignant because astrocytes reproduce quickly and are supported by a large network of blood vessels. Although they are generally found in the cerebral hemispheres of the brain, glioblastomas can be found anywhere in the brain or spinal cord. The tumors come from normal brain cells, so it is easy for them to invade and live within normal brain tissue. However, glioblastoma rarely spreads elsewhere in the body. (1)
The distribution of the type of brain and CNS tumors is shown in Figure 2.
There are two main categories of brain tumors as to the seriousness; Malignant, and Benign. A Malignant tumor can grow and spread aggressively, and overpower other healthy cells by taking their space, blood, and nutrients. A Benign tumor is less serious than a Malignant, however, it can still cause many problems in the brain by pressing on nearby tissue. They are typically slow growing and rarely spread to other parts of the body. Benign brain tumors can be considered Malignant if they are located in areas of the brain that control vital functions like breathing. Unlike benign tumors, the cell structure of a malignant brain tumor is largely different than normal brain cells. Malignant tumors tend to grow faster and can be more invasive than benign tumors. They are also are life threatening. Tumors are classified as grades one through four. The more aggressive a brain tumor is, the higher the score. Another type of tumor is the pituitary tumor. A pituitary tumor is an abnormal growth of cells in the pituitary gland. It’s about the size of a pea and it’s located at the center of the brain behind the nose and eyes. "Malignant and Benign Brain Tumors."
By using identified gene mutations that are known to cause diseases, asymptomatic individuals are able to discover if they are at risk for specific genetic conditions; this is known as genetic testing. Unfortunately, genetic testing can vary in its predictive ability. For example, Huntington disease, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Fragile X syndrome and multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 are conditions that can be determined by genetic testing (Samen, 1996). In contrast, for multifaceted diseases like Alzheimer’s, breast and ovarian cancer and colorectal cancer, predisposition can be determined with genetic testing. However, an absolute diagnosis of those diseases cannot be made (Heshka et al., 2008).
Peterson, G. M. Lessons from familial cancers. Mid-Atlantic Cancer Genetics Network Newsletter. Fall 1999. http://www.macgn.org/nl13e.html.
Some risk factors cannot be changed such as age, race, and gender. A person 's risk increases as they get older. Approximately 1 out of 8 women are at risk of developing breast cancer are younger than 55. Approximately 2 out of 3 women are at risk of developing breast cancer who are older than 55 (American Cancer Society, 2014). To decrease this rate, women need more timely follow ups and access to high quality treatments (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Men can develop breast cancer, but this disease is more common among women than men. (American Cancer Society, 2015).
With today’s world more inclined towards war than peace, many people encounter injuries and damages. Thousands of soldiers, in US military, develop deficits to their long-term memory owing to head trauma, brain injury or memory loss, even if they don’t bear any kind of physical damage. This is not only limited to US military but military all over the world. This can even extend to a common man who might have come across a similar problem of brain injury. In response to this, the US military is funding research that is strategically designed to improve memory by brain stimulation via implanted electrodes. It is believed that this can also help people who have suffered strokes or those who have lost their capability to recall due to ageing. The
Cancer. A word that many people know as a reality. There are many different types of cancer that affect various amounts of people. One especially dangerous cancer is neuroblastoma. “Neuroblastoma . . . accounts for about 6% of all cancers in children . . . The average age at the time of diagnosis is about 1 to 2 years” ("What Are the Key Statistics about Neuroblastoma?"). Neuroblastoma is a devastating cancer found mostly in young children that is hard to terminate but learning the symptoms and most effective treatments can help with diagnosis and cure for an affected child.
According to SEER Statistics, 23,380 people are estimated to get a brain or nervous system cancer diagnosis. Out of those people, 14,320 people are estimated to die from their brain or nervous system cancer diagnosis (National Cancer Institute). Cancer is a type of dangerous tumor, or a buildup of extra cells that form a mass of tissue, that can be life threatening (National Cancer Institute). The term for a tumor that is cancerous is a malignat tumor, whereas a benign tumor does not contain cancer cells (National Cancer Institute). According to the National Cancer Institute, the causes of brain cancer are unknown, but risk factors include family history and excessive radiaton exposure. Although they are not always due to a brain tumor, comon symptoms include headaches, nausea, speech, hearing, vision, and mood changes, problems with balance and mamories, seizures, and numbness in arms and legs (National Cancer Institute). MRI and CT scans as well as surgical biposies (or the removal of part of the tumor to be examined) are used to diagnose brain cancer (National Cancer Institute). Different types of treatment options include radiation therapy, surgery to remove the tumor, and chemotherapy. According to Charles Davis, MD, PhD and Nitin Tandon, MD of WebMD.com, chemotherapy is “ the use of powerful drugs to kill tumor cells”. There are a few different types of chemotherapy, but all of which bring out the same kinds of side effects. Although the physical side effects of chemotherapy are commonly known, few people know of the emotional toll chemotherapy can take on a patient and his or her family as they go though this process.
There are two types of tumors, benign tumors and malignant tumors. Benign tumors are not cancerous. These types of tumors can usually be removed and do not come back in most cases. Benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the body and the cells do not invade other tissues. Unlike b...
I was a child when my aunt got sick, and my fascination about the field of medicine began. She had brain cancer. While I watched the disease progress I was flooded, not only with sadness and grief, but with questions. With two psychologists for parents I had a lot of support and understanding of my feelings, but I was left curious about the medical aspect of the disease and why there was no cure. The notion that the brain could change someone’s entire personality and physical function was amazing to me. Spending a lot of time in hospitals, I observed so much about the impact of a cancer diagnosis on patients and their families, and about what happens to people through the disease process. I noticed the enormous influence that the medical professional’s
Most of the body’s functions such as, thinking, emotions, memories and so forth are controlled by the brain. It serves as a central nervous system in the human body. The mind is the intellect/consciousness that originates in the human brain and manifests itself in emotions, thoughts, perceptions and so forth. This means that the brain is the key interpreter of the mind’s content. Jackson and Nagel seem to resist identifying what we call “mental events” with brain events, for different reasons, while J.J.C. Smart takes the opposing view.
Benign tumors look similar to the tissues that they came from and develop slowly. The tumor remains in the same area that the tumor originated in. Malignant tumors are formed from cells that do not resemble the tissue that they came from. They vary in shape and size. This enables pieces of the tumor to break off and spread to other places in the body.
How does one see the symptoms for childhood cancer? First one must know that there are many different types. There are forty different types of children’s cancer, including: Leukemia, Lymphoma, Sarcomas, cancers of the nervous system, liver cancers, kidney cancer, and more. Out of these cancers, the two most common childhood cancers are Leukemia, and brain tumors. What is leukemia? It is a cancer in which the bone marrow and other organs that produce blood produce and increased amount of immature or abnormal white blood cells. The symptoms of leukemia are paleness, excessive bruising, pain in the joints, and fatigue. Brain tumors are formed when a massive amount of cells are produced on the brain. The symptoms for this are frequent headaches, vomiting, seizures, decreased coordination, weakness, and problems concerning vision.