Every year another 22.000 people are diagnosed with brain tumors and more that 13.000 patients die every year because of brain tumors. Primary brain tumor is characterized by the tumor is formed directly in the brain and requires surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Secondary brain tumor is when the cancer spreads to the brain from other parts of the body. It requires Gamma knife surgery and chemotherapy and radiation.
Not all brain tumors are malignant, but they can still pose a danger to your health. The most common symptoms are headache, speech problems, vision problems, weakness in lims, and seizures. Most symptoms increases and you need to see a doctor, when experience some of the symptoms.
We have listed some facts about brain tumors you need to know:
There are many symptoms of a brain tumor
There are many symptoms of brain tumor, and none of them should be ignored. The most frequent symptoms are personality changes, blurred vision, seizure, and difficulties in walking or even standing. Frequent headaches can also be a sign of a brain tumor, but often headaches are just headaches, and you need to see a doctor before jumping into conclusions.
There are benign and malignant brain tumors
There are more than 120 types of brain tumor, but not all brain tumors are malignant. Benign tumors rarely spread to other part of the body, and they grow very slowly. However, they still require treatment. But there are also some aggressive types of brain cancer that are far more malignant. Especially the tumor glioblastoma is the most aggressive. Some patients will not survive for many days after being diagnosed with the more aggressive types of brain tumors.
There are no guarantee
To lower the risk of developing brain tumor, you need to avoid radiation and limit your alcohol consumption. Try to avoid obesity by eating mainly vegetables and fruits and reduce your intake of processed meat. Still there are no guarantee that you can prevent brain tumor, but living a healthy life can reduce the of cancer.
Surgery is the only option
When diagnosed with a brain tumor, not all tumors can be removed immediately. Not even all benign tumors can be removed, but to monitor the growth of the tumor, you advised to have regular MRI’s. Most often brain tumors can be removed through surgery, but because some of the tumors are located deep in the skull, the patient may not survive surgery. Luckily some tumors are easy to remove, and the patient are advised to go through chemotherapy and radiation treatment to make sure the there are no cancer cells left behind.
Brain tumor affects both children and adults
Unfortunately lots of children are diagnosed with brain tumors. Next to leukemia, brain cancer is the second most common type of cancer in children. Children often suffer from medulloblstomas or ependymomas, which can occur before the age of 10.
In adults the two most common types of brain tumors are gliomas ans meningiomas. In gliomas the glial cells are supporting the nervous system and maintaining homeostasis. However, the same cells can also develop into gliomas.
Meningiomas is often benign and arises from the meningeal tissue in the brain. However, even a benign tumor can press vital nerves and blood veins, resulting in some dangerous symptoms.
Cell phones do not cause cancer
Some might try to convince you that cell phones causes cancer. It has been a tough rumor for years, but even though cell phones emit radio-frequent energy they do not harm the DNA. Even though the rumor has it, that there were no increase in brain tumors prior to the invention of the cell phone, it’s still just a rumor. By that said, you don’t need to buy Bluetooth headsets or earphones to make sure you won’t get in contact with the cell phone. There are no relationship between cell phones and cancer. It’s true that the body can absorb the waves from the cell phone, but they won’t do more than just increase your temperature slightly.