Brain tumors: what you need to know
- Philip Henkin
- Dec 22, 2022
- 3 min read
A brain tumor is a serious illness that can happen to some people. If you have this kind of illness, you'll need to know the symptoms of brain tumor, figure out what's wrong, and take the right steps to treat it. You may also need to look into possible treatments and palliative care.
Brain tumors can show up in many different ways. Changes in vision, speech, and balance are some of these. It could also affect how you remember and think.
Brain tumor treatment depends on the type of tumor, where it is in the brain, and how healthy the patient is overall. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are both used to treat cancer.
Another sign of a brain tumor is seizures. They can happen at any point in the growth of a tumor. To avoid epileptic episodes, anticonvulsant drugs are recommended.
Headaches, throwing up, and feeling sick are other signs of a brain tumor. These signs and symptoms happen because the tumors in the brain are being pushed on. They can stop the brain from working normally if they are bad enough.
A brain tumor can also cause a personality change or how someone feels. Also, people with brain tumors may not want to work as much.
Some people who have brain tumors start to prefer to stay in bed. This could happen because it hurts for them to move.
It is often hard to tell if someone has a brain tumor. Because the brain is so complicated, it's important to have a reliable way to figure out what's wrong. There are several tests that the patient and their healthcare team can use to help.
Neuroimaging, a series of scans used to look at the nervous system, is a good way to determine if someone has a brain tumor. These tests determine how the patient reacts physically and what's wrong with their brain.
The positron emission tomography (PET) scan is one of these tests. This test is a powerful diagnostic tool that helps doctors figure out a tumor's size before operating on it. But the PET scan costs a lot of money and exposes you to radiation.
A cerebral arteriogram is another test that can help determine what's wrong. MRI and CT are more accurate than this test. But it can find things like tumors and other strange symptoms.
Brain tumors can be treated in many different ways, depending on the type and stage of cancer. Some people may only have surgery, while others will have chemo and radiation. All of these can cause serious problems.
Surgery can get rid of the tumor for good, but there is a chance of bleeding and infection. Most people with brain tumors are treated with chemo or radiation to avoid these problems.
The treatment plan will depend on several things, such as your age and where the tumor is. It is important to talk to your healthcare team about your goals. If you need clarification, ask questions.
Chemotherapy can be given by mouth or through a vein. Often, this kind of treatment is used along with surgery. It can, however, cause side effects like vomiting, hair loss, and feeling sick.
Radiation therapy uses beams with a lot of energy to kill cancer cells. Cancer cells can be killed with targeted therapy without hurting the healthy tissues around the tumor.
Palliative care is important for people with brain tumors because it improves their lives. It improves life by removing pain, giving emotional support, and lowering stress. Palliative care aims to ease the pain and other symptoms of a disease, give emotional support to the patient's family and care partners and teach people about the different ways to treat the disease.
Traditionally, the main goal of the palliative approach has been to relieve pain and other physical symptoms. But the course of the disease is more complicated when the tumor is in the brain. Because of this, patients need a complete approach to pain relief.
Brain cancer can be a terrible thing to go through. Patients usually have a short life expectancy and a bad outlook. They may need help with their emotions, mental health, and other kinds of help.
In a recent study, researchers looked at how well a palliative home-care program improved the quality of life of the patient and the person taking care of them. The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre's neuro-oncology clinic was used to find people to participate in the study. Most of them underwent surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.
Comments