All About Brain Cancer

The central nervous system is made up of the brain and the spinal cord. These two are attached at the hole on the base of the skull, and the spinal cord’s length reaches the lower back. The nerves that are found in different body parts comprise the peripheral nervous system.

The brain is where thought is processed into signals, the signals travel through the nervous system and reaches the rest of the body, and these body parts respond to the signal by moving or producing certain chemicals. Our five senses receive signals from the environment and the brain processes these signals into various kinds of taste, smell, colors or figures, temperature or pressure, and sound.

Instead of CT scan, the MRI scan is used for suspected brain tumors because MRI has a higher sensitivity for detecting the presence of, or changes within, a tumor. Most institutions, though still use the CT scan as the first diagnostic test.

Skull x-rays are not any more widely used to diagnose brain cancer.

You will be referred to a specialist in brain surgery if your scans indicate the presence of a brain tumor. You should also be referred to a specialist in brain tumors (neuro-oncologist).

Next step is to confirm that you have a cancer. A biopsy (a small sample of the tumor) is taken to identify the type of tumor. The most widely used technique for obtaining a biopsy is surgery, in which the skull is opened. The intention is to remove the whole tumor if possible. A biopsy is then taken from the tumor.

If the surgeon is not able to remove the whole tumor, the surgeon takes a small piece of the tumor.

There are some cases when it is possible to collect a biopsy without the need to open the skull. Using CT or MRI scans while the head is held still in a frame, the exact location of the tumor is determined stereotactically. A small hole is then made in the skull and a needle guided through the hole to the tumor. The needle collects the biopsy and is removed. This is called stereotaxis, or stereotactic biopsy.

The biopsy is examined under a microscope by a pathologist–a physician who specializes in diagnosing diseases by looking at tissues and cells.

When tumors are found in your brain, they can be either benign or malignant. Benign tumor has no cancer cells while malignant tumor has cancer cells that grow very quickly.

Some of the symptoms of brain tumors are the following:

* Worse headaches in the morning
* Nausea and vomiting
* Significant changes in the ability to see, talk or hear
* Walking or balancing problems
* Memory or thinking problems
* Twitching or jerking of the muscle
* Numbness or tingling sensation in arms or legs.

Brain cancers can be either Glioma or Meningioma. It is considered to be primary when it starts in the brain and metastatic if it starts from the other parts of the body and moves into the brain.

There is a disease that grows malignant cells in the brain – it is called brain cancer. It is a life-threatening disease that is the leading cause of death in our country. Statistics say that 35,000 Americans were diagnosed with primary brain cancer in 2004, and another 150,000 people with brain tumors have already spread it to the other parts of their body.

Brain cancer is a mysterious disease. The exact cause is still unknown but experts say that these factors contribute to the development of brain cancer: radiation, various toxins in the environment, stress, HIV infection, cigarette smoking and genetics.

If the findings of your physical examination and medical interview suggest that you may have a problem in the brain or brain stem, following tests may be done.

- In most cases, you will have a CT scan of the brain. CAT or CT scans are special x-ray tests that produce cross-sectionalor three dimensional images of the body using x-rays and a computer. A harmless dye is injected into your bloodstream so that the abnormalities are highlighted on the scan.

- Routine laboratory tests, like blood analysis, liver function tests, electrolytes, and a blood coagulation profile, may be performed since people with brain cancer often have other medical problems. Blood or urine tests may be done to detect drug use, if your main symptom is a change in mental status.

to be continued…

Description

Brain cancer is a tumor or tumors that form on the brain itself. Most brain tumors have spread to the brain from other affected parts of the body (such as the breast or the lung) via the blood-stream. Only a small percentage of brain cancer cases originate in the brain.

In its early stages, brain cancer often produces no symptoms, or it displays symptoms that are mistaken for everyday headaches. As a result, the condition is often quite advanced before it is detected. Brain cancer is a very serious condition that can cause extensive neurological damage or death.

The exact cause of brain cancer is unknown, but heredity is suspected to play a role in its development.

Signs and Symptoms

Brain cancer is usually asymptomatic until the tumor reaches a certain size. At that point, symptoms include:

Persistent headaches

Vomiting

General weakness, or localized weakness in the arms or legs

Loss of coordination

Dizziness

Change in personality

Loss of mental abilities, including memory

Double vision, or loss of vision

Seizures

Conventional Medical Treatment

If you suspect you have a brain tumor, see a physician immediately. A CAT scan or MRI of the head can usually confirm the presence of a tumor and pinpoint its location. If a tumor is found, the physician may take a CAT scan of the chest and abdomen to make sure the cancer has not affected other areas of the body. If the tumor is localized and is situated in an area where removal is possible (on the outer surface of the brain, for example), surgery may be performed. However, some tumors-particularly those located deep within the brain tissue-cannot be operated on. In these cases, radiation and chemotherapy will be used to destroy cancerous cells. (See “Conventional Medical Treatment” in the “Bladder Cancer” entry for more information on radiation and chemotherapy.)

Complementary and Alternative Treatments

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Acupressure By pressing on certain acupressure points along the body’s meridians, a practitioner may be able to reduce cancer-related pain and headaches.

Chinese Herbal Therapy Traditional Chinese Medicine considers any type of tumor formation the result of stagnant blood, so a practitioner may recommend formulas that energize blood flow and strengthen the immune system, such as Ginseng and Astragals Formula. In cases of brain cancer, an herbalist may prescribe the Chinese formula called Three Yellows.

Pain killers for cancer patients may be taken orally or intravenously. These medications may have side effects and put a strain on the kidneys and livers. Complementary and alternative medication techniques are being used hand in hand with traditional medication. This is to avoid the necessity to increase dosage to medications and reduce pain.

Some of the alternative pain management methods are: traditional Chinese acupuncture where pressure points are stimulated to trigger the release of natural painkillers in the body; massage which helps relieve pain, stress and depression; herbal supplements which help relieve inflammations and pain; and mind-body techniques such as yoga, hypnosis, deep breathing and guided imagery.

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Radiation therapy uses high-power x-rays, gamma rays, or protons to kill cancer cells. A large machine aims radiation at the tumor and the tissue close to it. Sometimes the radiation may be directed to the entire brain or to the spinal cord.

Radiation therapy usually follows surgery. The radiation kills tumor cells that may remain in the area. Sometimes, patients who cannot have surgery have radiation therapy instead. The treatment schedule depends on the type and size of the tumor and the age of the patient. Each treatment lasts only a few minutes.

Nausea is the most common side effect of radiotherapy, and this can sometimes last for hours. Other side effects include hair loss, and redness and dryness of the skin around the area being treated.

Each year cancer research programs continue to grow: funding increases, new technologies make year-old discoveries obsolete, and more doctors and scientists contribute their ideas and methods to understanding and eradicating cancer. As these strides are made, more treatment options become available and fewer people are forced to endure painful and invasive treatments.

Radiosurgery is a non-invasive, non-surgical treatment of brain cancer that allows doctors to direct beams of radiation to precise locations in order to focus it directly over a brain tumor. This method can help treat and remove intracranial tumors that would otherwise not be accessible for open surgery.

Choosing radiosurgery as an option over more invasive routines is the method of choice for some patients, but is more likely to be a necessity for patients with certain types of tumors that are not easily accessed through open surgery — such as skull base tumors.

Radiosurgery often uses the Leksell Gamma Knife which concentrates gamma radiation to the targeted portion of the patient’s brain. The radiation is so concentrated that, while some residual radiation exists, the vast majority of it is focused onto a much smaller area, thus degenerating the affected area and leaving the rest of the brain unaffected.

The Leksell Gamma Knife form of radiotherapy has been known to work with only one treatment.

What to Expect When Entering Radiation Therapy

Although there are many different types of radiation treatments, radiosurgery focusing specifically on the treatment of head, neck, and brain cancers, the side effects of general radiotherapy and radiosurgery will be very similar.

With radiosurgery, because the radiation is focused around the head and brain area, the patient can often expect to lose hair as a result of the treatment. Other side effects may include a reddening if the skin around the treated area where the radiation beams are passed through, physical fatigue (patients may feel tired more often than normal and sleep longer hours), nausea, and decreased immune response requiring that patients avoid being in public as much as possible to minimize the possibility of catching a virus or other sickness.

When used to treat cancer, radiation therapy is often administered in conjunction with surgery and chemotherapy. In operable cases, surgery may be conducted to remove as much of the cancer as possible, then treatment is followed up by radiation therapy to kill any remaining cancer cells. The same is true of treatment in conjunction with chemotherapy.

In some cases, a combination of all three treatments will be used. In cases where the threat is not as immediate, radiation therapy alone may be the only treatment necessary.

Chemotherapy refers to the use of drugs to kill cancer cells in the brain. The drugs may be given orally or through injection. Chemotherapy is done at regular intervals, with adequate time spacing to allow the patient to recover.

Sometimes, during surgery, the surgeon implants medicated wafer after removing the tumor. This wafer will eventually melt and release the drug to the surrounding tissues.

The most common side effects include fever and chills, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, and weakness. Some side effects may be relieved with medicine.