Symptoms and Treatments of Brain Cancer

There are two types of brain cancer, the first one being in the form of a primary brain tumor, and the second one comes in the form of a metastatic brain tumor. A primary brain tumor is a tumor that originates in the brain and may or may not be malignant. The metastatic brain tumor will always be malignant because it is caused from cancer cells invading the brain from other parts of the body. Both are dangerous and life threatening, but metastatic brain tumors are more of a threat because the disease has advanced so far and has already spread throughout the body.

Some of the warning signs, such as headaches and drowsiness, may be ignored because for some people they may be a normal occurrence. However, there are more telltale symptoms that everyone should be aware of. Although the symptoms of brain cancer may differ depending on which part of the brain contains the tumor, there are some symptoms that are usually present no matter where the tumor is located. These symptoms include impaired functions, such as impaired speech, impaired judgment, impaired sense of smell and impaired coordination just to name a few. Seizures and vision loss are also very common symptoms of brain cancer and should be taken into consideration when making a diagnosis.

There are a few forms of treatment for brain cancer, and an oncologist will decide which one is best for each individual case. The first type of treatment is surgical removal of the tumor. This treatment is very invasive, but very effective when combined with radiation. Radiation is the other form of treatment, and it is often used by itself when surgery isn’t the best option for the patient. The radiation damages the genetic material in the cancerous cells, prohibiting further growth. Cancerous cells aren’t able to repair themselves like normal cells can, so the radiation causes the cancerous cells to die. It is important that treatment is started as soon as possible in order to achieve the maximum benefits of that treatment.