The brain, which plays a central role in the nervous system, is composed of nerve fibers and nerve cells. It is an organ that not only performs motor, sensory, language, memory, and high-level mental functions, but also plays an essential role in survival, such as regulating body metabolism and maintaining body homeostasis. A brain tumor is any tumor that develops in the brain tissue or the membranes surrounding the brain. Depending on the site of occurrence, it is divided into primary and metastatic. Also, depending on the degree of malignancy, it is divided into malignant brain tumors such as malignant neurocorrection and brain metastasis, and benign brain tumors such as meningioma and pituitary tumor. The exact cause of brain tumors is not known, and it is presumed that tumors are formed by the loss of function of genes that suppress tumors. It is presumed that various external factors such as radiation, chemicals, hormones and viruses in the surrounding environment such as food and air cause problems and change the normal function of tumor-suppressing genes, thereby affecting the development. there is. Now, let’s learn about the various symptoms that appear when a brain tumor occurs and various information related to treatment one by one.
Brain tumor main symptoms
The most common symptom of a brain tumor is a headache. Headache, which 70% of brain tumor patients complain of, is caused by an increase in intracranial pressure as the volume of the brain increases due to the tumor. Unlike tension headaches, which occur mainly in the afternoon, symptoms are severe in the morning or in the morning when lying down for a long time. In addition, the symptoms of nerve palsy, which appear when the tumor presses on the surrounding nerves, vary depending on the location and size of the tumor within the brain structure. When the tumor compresses certain cranial nerves, symptoms such as double vision, loss of smell, visual impairment, facial paresthesia, hearing loss, and voice changes may appear. In addition, when a tumor develops in the central part related to movement and language, symptoms such as movement disorders and speech disorders are expressed. And when a brain tumor irritates surrounding brain tissue, symptoms of an epileptic seizure can occur. In addition, if there is a tumor in the pituitary gland, it may be accompanied by hormone-related abnormalities such as menstrual irregularity, thyroid dysfunction, lactation, and acromegaly.
In the early stages of brain tumors, there are often no symptoms, and even if symptoms do appear, the treatment time is often delayed because they do not recognize them or think they are insignificant. In addition, even when symptoms are recognized, brain tumors are often mistaken for other diseases and delay in appropriate treatment because the symptoms are very diverse. Brain tumors have a high survival rate compared to other cancers. In general, it is known that the 5-year survival rate after onset is 95% for benign cases and 38% for malignant cases. However, even if it is benign, if the detection is delayed, it destroys or invades the surrounding normal brain tissue, making it difficult to cure with surgery or radiation. In addition, once damaged, the brain may suffer functional impairment depending on the extent of the damage, and the risk of recurrence increases as well. Therefore, it is most important to conduct a detailed examination through consultation with a specialist if there are prognostic symptoms such as headache, sensory disorders, movement disorders, gait disorders, speech disorders, vision loss, hearing loss, or tinnitus. I can. In addition, it is very important to regularly receive regular checkups because the cause of brain tumors is unknown and there is no special preventive method. Brain Tumor Diagnosis and Treatment
1. Multiple overhauls
In order to diagnose a brain tumor, various tests such as neurological examination, CT, and MRI are performed, and cerebrovascular angiography is performed to see the distribution of blood vessels and the relationship of blood vessels around them. In addition, when a more precise examination is required, radioisotope testing and EEG can be performed, and positron emission tomography (PET), which predicts the malignancy of tumors by checking the metabolic activity of tumor cells with images, is also performed.
2. Treatment according to the diagnosis result
Brain tumors are diagnosed through various tests, and various treatment methods are applied depending on the results. In order to remove the brain tumor while minimizing brain damage, surgical treatment is the first priority. In addition, for tumors that cannot be treated with surgery alone, radiation therapy is performed, and treatment methods such as chemotherapy using various drugs are performed secondary or additionally. In addition, to control cerebral edema before and after surgery, and to prevent seizures, drugs such as steroids and antiepileptic drugs are administered. It’s possible.
