Brain is one of the most important organs in the human body. No human being can possibly function properly if there is some disturbance going on in the brain. If you have a slight headache, it becomes difficult for you to concentrate on the task at hand, and if it worsens, then it can lead to pain in other parts of the body. Imagine what would happen to the rest of the body if there’s a tumor affecting the brain. Brain and nervous system cancers are the tenth leading cause of death in the entire world. Therefore, it has become very important today to understand what brain tumor is and the answer to the question, ‘what are the silent symptoms of brain tumor?’
What is a Brain Tumor: Types and Origin
Cancer or tumor is a collection of abnormally dividing cells in the body. Caners and tumors are discriminated on the basis of their origin and location. Similarly, brain tumors (in Urdu: dimagh ki rasoli) are masses of cells accumulated in the brain. The tumors can be of two types:
- Malignant or cancerous tumors
- Benign or noncancerous tumors
WHO classifies tumors into four grades with grade 1 being the least harmful and grade 4 being the most lethal and malignant tumors.
Brain tumors can either originate in the brain (in which case they are called primary brain tumors) or somewhere else in the body but travel to the brain and develop there (if this is the case, then it is a secondary or metastatic brain tumor).
Symptoms of Brain Tumor
Symptoms of brain tumor might be different in every individual, however, some of the common signs of brain tumor are:
- Headaches
- Seizure
- Unexplained nausea
- Vision problems
- Numbness or loss of sensation in one or more organs
- Balance, coordination and stability problems
- Affected memory
- Sharp personality changes
- Lack of concentration
- Weakness
- Verbal communication affected
It is important for you to understand that some of these symptoms can occur due to several other reasons and not necessarily be an indication of cancer. Take headache for instance. Headaches can be categorized into many different groups, and they are associated with different diseases and disorders. Sometimes, they are not even related to disease but are a result of stress.
Causes of brain tumor
The exact brain tumor cause is unknown, but there are several risk factors that increase the chances of development of a brain tumor. These factors are:
- Radiation
- Genetics
- Cancer in another part of the body
Increased exposure to ionizing radiation is one of the leading causes of brain tumor and brain cancer. Research has also known that if a person has a family history of cancer patients, then there are high chances that the person can suffer from cancer as well.
Another common cause of brain tumor is the metastasis of an existing tumor or cancer in part of the body other than the brain. The tumor travels from its place of origin to the brain using the bloodstream and then divide abnormally in the brain.
Diagnosis
A neurologist can diagnose brain tumors. Since brain tumors cannot be confirmed with just the physical symptoms mentioned above, you have to visit a doctor and get a proper CT scan, an angiogram or an MRA in order to confirm the presence of tumor in your brain. Your doctor might also ask for a biopsy to confirm if the tumor is cancerous or benign. A neurological exam is another way to diagnose brain tumors in addition to the tests listed above.
Treatment
The chances of survival with brain tumor depend on what stage the brain tumor is. There are multiple treatment options available for brain tumors. If the tumor is not in part of the brain that is inaccessible, and it is not difficult to remove, then brain tumor surgery can be performed. Chemotherapy and radiation are used to kill cancer cells in cases where surgery is not a possible option to remove the tumor.
Post-treatment
After surgery or during chemotherapy, it is important to stay in touch with other therapists to keep the rest of your body active and increase the rate of your recovery. One of the side effects of chemotherapy or radiation is that healthy tissues also get damaged. It may benefit patients to work with a speech, physical and occupational therapist. Now that you are aware of what the silent symptoms of brain tumor are, if you are worried about any of the symptoms you might have, there are several best-qualified doctors you can get in contact with on marham.pk.
