Headache, almost everyone has experienced this at some point of time in their life. It is a very common experience, we generally ignore this or take some OTC medicines but if it becomes a daily issue or the “Simple” headache starts to metamorphose into different types of headaches, we get the dilemma if this is a headache or a brain tumor, hence we start to panic, let’s help you get rid of this dilemma by helping you with everything you need to know about the brain tumor.
Growth of abnormal cells due to uncontrolled division results in a solid mass or cluster of cells, which in medical jargon is known as a tumor. When this abnormal mass of cells develops in the brain, it’s called a brain tumor. Brain tumors just like any other tumor are categorized into two types – Cancerous, and Non-Cancerous. The severity of both depends on various clinical measures and hence requires a lot of testing before one can conclude anything.
The symptoms of a brain tumor vary greatly upon the characteristic of the tumor-like size, location, and rate of growth, but some symptoms are common in almost all cases. These include
1.) Mutation in the headache pattern, that has symptoms that you have never experienced before, There could also be a change in frequency and variation in the intensity of pain.
2.) Headaches accompanied by Nausea that doesn’t have any particular reason of occurrence, and vision problems viz. blurred vision, loss of peripheral vision, etc.
3.) Problem in maintaining proper balance, accompanied by loss of awareness and movement in limbs and arms.
4.) Feeling Lethargic, and speech becomes slurred.
5.) Changes in behavioral patterns and personality, inability to follow simple commands, and problem in handling simple cognitive intensive jobs.
6.) Experiencing seizures without any previous case of occurrence.
Tumors can be divided into two types as per their origination, one that originates in the brain itself is known as the primary tumor, while on the other hand if the tumor originates on some other part of the body but makes its way to the brain is known as a secondary or metastatic tumor. Now let’s look into the details of both
(a) Primary Tumor: This type of tumor originates in either the tissues surrounding the brain namely meninges i.e. the brain covering membrane, cranial nerve, pituitary gland, etc. or in the brain itself. The primary tumor is caused when there is a mutation in the DNA. The DNA is the storehouse of all the blueprints that the body refers to while doing the biological processes, hence if it’s off even by a jiffy, it wreaks havoc. In the case of a tumor, the information related to cell division is tampered with by mutation and hence there is an uncontrolled rate of cell division, resulting in a cluster of cells.
(b.) Secondary Tumor: The secondary tumor is the most common type of tumor in adults, this type of tumor is the result of cancerous cells present in some other parts of the body as in Breast cancer, colon cancer, Lung cancer, etc. that makes it way gradually to the brain.
The approach in finalizing the treatment procedure of brain tumors depends on various factors and requires thorough analysis, but here are the common treatment processes which are used as stand-alone or are done in combination with each other.
(1.) Surgery: This is the most used approach as a method for treatment. It involves complete removal of the tumor while making sure to preserve the brain tissues responsible for cognitive abilities like talking, speaking, walking, etc. In this process, surgeons usually create an opening an opening in the skull to access the inside of the brain and remove the tumor.
(2.) Radiotherapy: High energy radiation waves are used when the surgical procedure becomes too complex or is not feasible, radiation therapy is of various types some of them are as follows
(a.) Standard External Beam Radiotherapy
(b.) Proton Beam Treatment
(c.) Stereotactic Radiosurgery
(d.) 3-Dimensional Conformal Radiotherapy (3DCRT)
(e.) Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT)
(3.) Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is not as effective as the above two if done as stand-alone, while it can greatly complement the result of the other processes when done along with them, chemotherapy works on the principle of regeneration ability of cells. It involves inflicting damage to cells, after that the cells that are healthy repair themselves whereas the cancerous cells have a hard time regenerating.
The brain tumor is a serious issue that requires expert medical assistance along with modern technologies. Hence if you experience any of the symptoms mentioned above don’t hesitate, to approach a medical professional. We at Malla Reddy Narayana have expert professionals along with the most cutting-edge technologies so that every care is taken for your complete treatment in the most hassle-free way possible, so feel free to approach us in any case of emergency in our 24×7 number 87903-87903.
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