Know the Types, Symptoms, Risk Factors and Treatment of a Brain Tumour

Posted on: Jun 9, 2022 | | Written by:

Know the Types, Symptoms, Risk Factors and Treatment of a Brain Tumour

A brain tumour, also called the central nervous system tumour, is a condition that happens due to the abnormal growth of cells in the brain. As the cells continue to grow, they can cause excessive pressure inside the skull, thereby resulting in brain damage.

Brain tumours can be malignant (cancerous) or benign (non-cancerous). While only one-third of brain tumours are malignant or cancerous, the benign ones can be dangerous as well. As a benign tumour continues to grow inside the brain, it can press on the nerves, tissues and blood vessels present therein. The excessive pressure inside the skull hampers brain function and this can be life-threatening as well.

Certain brain tumours can be cured completely if diagnosed and treated in time. However, brain tumour surgery and other additional treatments can be quite expensive, with the bills running into several lakhs of rupees. Hence, make sure you keep an adequate health insurance policy handy for such times. A health plan covers a range of medical expenses and saves you and your loved ones from some major financial setbacks.

How is benign brain tumour different from malignant ones?

Benign brain tumours are non-cancerous ones that grow slowly inside the brain. Hence, in most cases, benign tumours do not spread to other tissues in the brain. They also have more clearly defined borders and can be removed surgically. Generally, benign brain tumours do not come back once they are removed. Malignant tumours are the cancerous onesthat grow rapidly inside the brain. Hence, they easily spread to other parts of the brain and cause complications. Malignant tumours can be life-threatening if not diagnosed early. Also, they are more difficult to remove when compared to benign ones and can even come back after removal.

Brain Tumour: Risk Factors

The common risk factors for brain tumours are:

• Age:

The chances of developing brain tumours increase with age. Hence, older people are at a higher risk of suffering from this condition.

• Gender:

Men are at a higher risk of developing a brain tumour when compared to women. However, meningioma tumour is more common in women.

• Family history:

As per experts, about 5% of brain tumours are hereditary or genetically inherited. Hence, the chances of inheriting brain tumours are rare but possible.

• Chemical exposure:

Exposure to certain chemicals and electromagnetic fields is one of the main risk factors.

• Radiation exposure:

People exposed to ionizing radiation are more likely to develop brain tumours. This can be due to nuclear fallout or high-radiation cancer therapies.

• Weakened immune system:

People with AIDS and other immune system disorders are more susceptible to brain tumours.

Brain Tumour: Symptoms

Frequent headaches, especially in the morning and while sleeping, is the most common symptom of brain tumours. This happens when the tumour grows and puts pressure on the brain tissues.

Along with headaches, one may also experience:

• Confusion

• Blurred vision

• Vomiting

• Seizures

• Weakness of a limb

Other symptoms are:

• Clumsy behaviour

• Loss of memory

• Difficulty to read, write and understand things

• Difficulty in swallowing food

• Drowsiness and dizziness

• Drooping eyelids, blurry vision and other eye problems

• Uncontrollable movements

• Difficulty walking or loss of balance

• Trouble speaking

• Loss of bowel or bladder control

• Menstruation issues or lack of menstruation in women

• Nipple discharge

• Breast tissue development in men

• Increase in body hair

• Obesity

• Low blood pressure

Brain Tumour: Diagnosis

Healthcare practitioners perform the following tests to diagnose a brain tumour:

1. Medical history:

First and foremost, the doctor will check your medical history to get a better idea about your past health issues and present health condition. If you have had any surgeries or medical treatments in the past, you must tell the doctor.

2. Physical examination:

The doctor will also perform a thorough physical examination to check for signs of any health conditions.

3. Biopsy:

This is done to get a small piece of the tumour and check if the tumour cells are malignant or benign. Biopsy also tells from where the tumour originated and how fast it is growing and spreading.

4. Imaging tests and X-rays:

Doctors conduct different tests and scans, such as MRI, CT scan, SPECT scan, PET scan and skull X-rays to locate the tumour in the brain. These scans also help them determine if the tumour is malignant or benign.

5. Spinal Tap:

In this test, doctors inject a small needle near the spine and remove some fluid from the area. The fluid is then examined in the laboratory for cancer cells. This test tells if there are any cancerous cells or tumours in the central nervous system.

6. Neurological exam:

Healthcare practitioners conduct this examination to check your mental wellbeing, balance, reflexes, vision and more. Any changes can help them identify the exact location of the tumour in the brain.

Brain Tumour: Treatment options

The treatment depends on different factors, such as the type, size and location of the tumour. A combination of treatment options and therapies is used to treat the condition.

1. Surgery:

This is the most common treatment option. Surgery is done carefully to remove the cancer cells or tumours from the brainwithout damaging the healthy parts. If the tumour is in a difficult-to-remove area, doctors may eradicate it partially. Partial removal of the tumour also helps in most cases. Benign but clinically dangerous tumours are also removed with the help of surgery.

2. Chemotherapy:

Brain tumour surgery is often combined with chemotherapy and other treatments for best results. Chemotherapy helps kill cancer cells in the brain or any other body part. This treatment option can also be used before the surgery to reduce the tumour size. When done after surgery, chemotherapy helps kill the remaining cancer cells to prevent them from growing again.

3. Radiation therapy:

This therapy helps shrink or destroy a brain tumour. Radiation therapy can also be done before a brain tumour surgery to shrink the tumour for its easy removal.

4. Immunotherapy or biological therapy:

This treatment uses your body’s immune system to destroy the cancer cells. The therapy stimulates the immune system for its efficient functioning.

5. Targeted therapy:

In this treatment method, certain drugs are used to destroy the cancerous cells without affecting or harming the healthy ones.Doctors opt for targeted therapyfor patients who are unable to tolerate the side effects of chemotherapy.

6. Laser thermal ablation:

This treatment uses lasers to heat and destroy the cancerous cells in the brain. Brain tumour treatment can be an expensive affair. However, if you have critical illness health insurance, the insurer will cover your treatment expenses.

Questions you must ask a healthcare practitioner about brain tumours

If diagnosed with a brain tumour, you must consider asking the following questions to the doctor:

• Where is the tumour located?

• What kind of tumour do I have?

• Has the tumour spread to other areas?

• Is the tumour malignant or benign?

• What are the treatment options?

• How long will the treatment take?

• Will there be any side effects of the treatment?

• Should I opt for a second opinion?

• Are there any precautions that I should take during the treatment?

Brain Tumour: Outlook

The outlook of a brain tumour usually depends on the following factors:

• Tumour type

• Tumour size

• Tumour location

• Your overall health

Most benign brain tumour treatments are successful and ensure a full recovery. However, in some cases, a malignant tumour might return even after treatment. Hence, doctors may opt for a combination of treatments for a long time to prevent the tumour from spreading.

Conclusion

A brain tumour can be treated with early diagnosis and the right treatment.If the tumour is a malignant or cancerous one, timely treatment is important to prevent it from becoming bigger and spreading to other parts of the brain. However, treating brain tumour can be quite expensive and can easily burn a hole in your pocket. This is when having a good health insurance policy helps. It will take care of your hospital bills and other associated expenses and help you concentrate on the treatment rather than fretting about the bills.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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