Brain tumors are the most common in children and the elderly. The chance of survival depends on the early diagnosis of brain cancer. Unfortunately, in Poland, brain tumors are detected in the advanced stage. They are difficult to recognize because the symptoms of brain cancer are often mixed.
Brain tumor- such a diagnosis is heard every year by 3,000 Poles. Its occurrence is related to age. The most common diseases are children under the age of 10 and adults over 60. Children usually develop medulloblastoma and adults have glioma or meningioma. Brain cancer diagnosis is often too late for many reasons. The lack of the so-called oncological vigilance. The fate of the patient depends on the early diagnosis of brain cancer.
Malignant neoplasms of the brainis 2 percent all malignant tumors. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, Poland ranks fourth among European countries in terms of the incidence of this disease. In Europe, nearly 17 percent. patients with diagnosed brain tumors live for 5 years, in Poland this percentage is 12%. for men and 19 percent. for women. Depending on the type of tumor, a 5-year survival rate, i.e. a virtually complete cure, has a 50-80% chance. kids. For adults, this percentage is much lower. But that's the situation all over the world.
Brain tumor: symptoms
The symptoms of brain tumors are not specific and depend, among other things, on on the tumor growth rate, its location and the patient's age. Different symptoms are seen in newborns and infants, and different in pre-school and school-age children.
In the youngest ones, anxiety should arouse the bulging of the crown or the unnatural enlargement of the head circumference. It happens that a child strains and often vomits. Psychomotor development may be inhibited, especially the loss of previously acquired skills, e.g. grasping toys.
In older children, the handwriting often changes or worsens the so-called graphic drawing level. This means that a child who has been drawing houses and trees nicely suddenly cannot do it. Schoolchildren subconsciously give up cycling or rollerblading because they have imbalances. When reading a book, they bring it close to their face as a developing tumor leads to visual disturbances. Inin most cases, the child's behavior changes as well. One can get the impression that he or she is socially maladjusted, feels afraid of school and wants to isolate himself from his peers. Morning pains and nausea, after which the child vomits, are also quite common symptoms. In over 7 percent children have a hormonal imbalance, which means that the child does not grow and develops sexually.
In adults, the most common occurrence is severe headache accompanied by vomiting. Over time, paresis, speech, vision and hearing disorders occur. In the first stage of the disease, the only symptom is a change in mood or behavior. It is harder for the sick person to concentrate, feels the facial muscles trembling or has seemingly innocent memory disorders.
Brain tumor diagnosis
Doctors around the world have trouble diagnosing brain tumors. The cause is ambiguous symptoms of the disease, and the later the diagnosis, the worse the prognosis. When the tumor is large, extensive surgery becomes necessary, but then it is not always possible to completely remove the tumor. After the procedure, the patient must undergo more intensive complementary treatment, i.e. chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
According to oncologists, primary care physicians often ignore the possibility of brain tumors in children.
Early diagnosis of brain tumors is up to primary care physicians and pediatricians. It is them who report to patients concerned about malaise. Unfortunately, doctors are not very sensitive to the combination of characteristic symptoms that suggest the development of a tumor in the nervous system.
The most common mistake made by pediatricians is diagnosing morning headaches and nausea as a school phobia or helminthiasis. It is also quite common to misinterpret tests performed as part of the diagnosis of central nervous system neoplasms. In seniors, severe headaches, behavioral changes, and lack of memory are considered atherosclerotic changes or senile dementia.
ProblemDon't miss the symptoms of a brain tumor
In the case of a brain tumor, the most common ones are:
- strong, growing headaches, especially in the morning, relieving after vomiting (50.5%)
- morning vomiting usually not preceded by nausea (47.6%)
- imbalance (23.2%)
- disorders of cranial nerves (25%)
- paresis of the limbs, disorders of urination and bowel movements (11.6%)
- consciousness disorders (12.2%)
- the appearance of epileptic seizures, convulsions (8.7%)
- endocrine disorders, disordersbehavior (7%)
Important tests to diagnose brain tumors
Meanwhile, it is not difficult to recognize a brain tumor, but you have to take into account that it may have developed at all. A simple test that determines what to do next is the fundus examination and the EEG, i.e. the study of the electrical activity of the brain. If the results are not clearly favorable to the patient, a CT scan or MRI should be performed. Both tests allow the type and size of the tumor to be determined early, quickly and accurately.
Unfortunately, most patients undergo specialist examinations when their disease is advanced. It sometimes happens, however, that performing only one of them, e.g. tomography or MRI, may lull the vigilance of even the best specialist. This is because some types of brain tumors, such as the brainstem, are only visible on MRI, not on CT scans.
Treatment of a brain tumor: neurosurgery wins
In almost all cases and types of brain tumors, neurosurgery is the primary treatment method. Its result almost always depends on the location, type of tumor and the extent of the operation resulting from these conditions. Radio- and chemotherapy are used as an adjunct to surgical treatment. If the tumor cannot be removed surgically, the patient undergoes radiation and chemotherapy. The success of treatment is determined by the close cooperation of doctors from many medical disciplines, e.g. neurosurgery, neuropathology, radiotherapy, clinical oncology and molecular biology.
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