what is Brain tumor ?

A brain tumor is a mass or growth of abnormal cells in your brain.

Brain cancer can have a wide variety of symptoms including seizures, sleepiness, confusion, and behavioral changes. Not all brain tumors are cancerous, and benign tumors can result in similar symptoms.

There are many types of brain tumors. Some are cancerous (malignant) and some are noncancerous benign.

Some malignant tumors start in the brain (called primary brain cancer). Sometimes, cancer spreads from another part of the body into the brain resulting in a secondary brain tumor.

There are a lot of potential symptoms of brain tumors, but one person is unlikely to have them all. Also, symptoms vary depending on where the tumor is growing in the brain and how large it is.

Many different types of brain tumors exist. Some brain tumors are noncancerous (benign), and some brain tumors are cancerous (malignant). Brain tumors can begin in your brain (primary brain tumors), or cancer can begin in other parts of your body and spread to your brain (secondary, or metastatic, brain tumors).

How quickly a brain tumor grows can vary greatly. The growth rate as well as location of a brain tumor determines how it will affect the function of your nervous system.

Brain tumor treatment options depend on the type of brain tumor you have, as well as its size and location.

brain cancer symptoms

Symptoms of a brain tumor can be general or specific. A general symptom is caused by the pressure of the tumor on the brain or spinal cord. Specific symptoms are caused when a specific part of the brain is not working well because of the tumor. For many people with a brain tumor, they were diagnosed when they went to the doctor after experiencing a problem, such as a headache or other changes.

General symptoms include:

The signs and symptoms of a brain tumor vary 

greatly and depend on the brain tumor's size,

 location and rate of growth.

General signs and symptoms caused by brain 

tumors may include:

• New onset or change in pattern of headaches
• Headaches that gradually become more frequent and more severe
• Unexplained nausea or vomiting
• Vision problems, such as blurred vision, double vision or loss of peripheral vision
• Gradual loss of sensation or movement in an arm or a leg
• Difficulty with balance
• Speech difficulties
• Confusion in everyday matters
• Personality or behavior changes
• Seizures, especially in someone who doesn't have a history of seizures
• Hearing problems

Symptoms that may be specific to the location of the tumor include:

• Pressure or headache near the tumor
• Loss of balance and difficulty with fine motor skills is linked with a tumor in the cerebellum.
• Changes in judgment, including loss of initiative, sluggishness, and muscle weakness or paralysis is associated with a tumor in the frontal lobe of the cerebrum.
• Partial or complete loss of vision is caused by a tumor in the occipital lobe or temporal lobe of the cerebrum.
• Changes in speech, hearing, memory, or emotional state, such as aggressiveness and problems understanding or retrieving words can develop from a tumor in the frontal and temporal lobe of the cerebrum.
• Altered perception of touch or pressure, arm or leg weakness on 1 side of the body, or confusion with left and right sides of the body are linked to a tumor in the frontal or parietal lobe of the cerebrum.
• Inability to look upward can be caused by a pineal gland tumor.
• Lactation, which is the secretion of breast milk, and altered menstrual periods in women, and growth in hands and feet in adults are linked with a pituitary tumor.
• Difficulty swallowing, facial weakness or numbness, or double vision is a symptom of a tumor in the brain stem.
• Vision changes, including loss of part of the vision or double vision can be from a tumor in the temporal lobe, occipital lobe, or brain stem.

If you are concerned about any changes you experience, please talk with your doctor. Your doctor will ask how long and how often you’ve been experiencing the symptom(s), in addition to other questions. This is to help figure out the cause of the problem, called a diagnosis.

Types of brain cancer

Astrocytomas, which are the most common CNS tumor, arise anywhere in the brain or spinal cord, and develop from small, star-shaped cells called astrocytes. In adults, astrocytomas most often occur in the cerebrum, the largest part of the brain. The cerebrum uses sensory information to tell us what’s going on around us and how the body should respond. The cerebrum also controls speech, movement and emotions, as well as reading, thinking and learning.

Brain stem gliomas are a type of astrocytoma that forms in the brain stem, which controls many vital functions, such as body temperature, blood pressure, breathing, hunger and thirst. The brain stem also transmits all the signals to the body from the brain. The brain stem is in the lowest part of the brain and connects the brain and spinal cord. Tumors in this area can be difficult to treat. Most brain stem gliomas are high-grade astrocytomas.

Glioblastoma multiforme, also known as glioblastoma, GBM or grade IV astrocytoma, is a fast-growing, aggressive type of CNS tumor that forms on the supportive tissue of the brain. Glioblastoma is the most common grade IV brain cancer. Glioblastomas may appear in any lobe of the brain, but they develop more commonly in the frontal and temporal lobes. Glioblastomas usually affect adults.

Meningioma develop in the cells of the membrane that surround the brain and spinal cord. Meningiomas (also called meningeal tumors) account for approximately 15 percent of all intracranial tumors. Most of these tumors are benign (non-cancerous and slow-growing). Meningiomas are typically removed with surgery. Some meningiomas may not need immediate treatment and may remain undetected for years. Most meningiomas are diagnosed in women between 30 and 50 years old.

Aside from astrocytomas, there are a number of different primary brain tumors and other nervous system tumors that form from glial cells. They include:

• Ependymomas, which usually occur in the lining of the ventricles, or spaces in the brain and around the spinal cord. Although ependymomas may develop at any age, these brain cancer tumors are most common in children and adolescents. Ependymomas are also a common spinal cord tumor.
• Oligodendrogliomas develop in the cells that produce myelin, the fatty covering that protects nerves in the brain and spinal cord. These tumors are very rare, and usually occur in the cerebrum. They are slow-growing and generally do not spread into surrounding brain tissue. These brain tumors occur most often in middle-aged adults. They generally have more favorable outcomes than astrocytomas.
• Mixed gliomas have two types of tumor cells: oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. This type of brain tumor most often forms in the cerebrum..

Pituitary tumors

Pituitary tumors are lumps that form in the pituitary, a small gland about the size of a pea that sits inside the skull, just below the brain and above the nasal passages. The pituitary gland produces hormones that control the levels of other hormones secreted by endocrine glands throughout the body, giving it an important role in controlling key body functions and the hormonal system.

The pituitary gland is made up of four parts: the anterior (front) lobe and posterior (back) lobe, which function independently of each other, as well as the intermediate area between the two lobes and the stalk that connects the pituitary to the interbrain (which includes the thalamus, hypothalamus and epithalamus). Most pituitary tumors form in the anterior lobe. They very rarely develop in the posterior lobe. Pituitary tumors represent 9 to 12 percent of all primary brain tumors.

The vast majority of pituitary tumors are pituitary adenomas, benign growths that do not spread beyond the skull. Even though these tumors are not cancerous, they often cause other medical issues because they are located near the brain and may cause the pituitary to produce excess hormones.

Pituitary cancers, called pituitary carcinomas, are very rare—only a few hundred have been documented in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Because pituitary cancers and benign adenomas look very similar under a microscope, the carcinomas are often diagnosed only when they spread to other parts of the body.

Other brain tumors

There are a number of different brain tumors that do not begin in glial tissue.

Craniopharyngiomas develop in the area of the brain near the pituitary gland (the main endocrine gland that produces hormones that control other glands and many body functions, especially growth) near the hypothalamus. These brain tumors are usually benign. However, they may sometimes be considered malignant because they may create pressure on, or damage, the hypothalamus and affect vital functions (such as body temperature, hunger and thirst). These tumors occur most often in children and adolescents, or adults over age 50.

Germ cell tumors arise from developing sex (egg or sperm) cells, also known as germ cells. The most common type of germ cell tumor in the brain is the germinoma. Aside from the brain, germinomas can form in the ovaries, testicles, chest and abdomen. Most germ cell tumors occur in children.

Pineal region tumors occur in or around the pineal gland, a small organ located in the center of the brain. The pineal gland produces melatonin, a hormone that plays an important role in the sleep-wake cycle. These brain cancer tumors can be slow growing (pineocytoma) or fast growing (pineoblastoma). Since the pineal region is very difficult to reach, it requires a high level of surgical expertise to remove these tumors.

Medulloblastomas are fast-growing brain tumors that develop from the neurons of the cerebellum. The cerebellum is the lower back of the brain and controls movement, balance and posture. These tumors are usually found in children or young adults.

Primary CNS lymphomas develop in lymph tissue of the brain or spinal cord. This type of brain tumor is usually found in people whose immune systems are compromised.