A brain tumor is the growth of abnormal cells in the brain. According to studies, there are over 120 types of brain tumors, based on the affected brain tissues. Brain tumors can grow in any part of the brain and skull, such as the skull base, protective lining, brain stem, sinuses, and nasal cavity. Similarly, it can develop into other body parts by crowding out the normal cells that support the brain’s nerve cells. Likewise, if you want statistics, more than 84,000 people had primary brain tumors in 2021, according to the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States Annual Report. Survival after getting diagnosed significantly varies by race, age, geographical location, tumor location, tumor type, and molecular markers.
To note, you should know that all brain cancers are tumors, but not all brain tumors are cancerous. Benign brain tumors are non-cancerous types of brain tumors, and the cancerous types are called malignant brain tumors. Those cancerous brain tumors usually grow fast and invade the surrounding structures of a healthy brain. Chondrosarcoma, olfactory neuroblastoma, and medulloblastoma are some examples of cancerous brain tumors that emerge in or near the brain.
Brain cancers and brain tumors are indeed dangerous to a person’s life. It can affect the vital structure of the brain and can even cause death. Therefore, knowing more about its signs and symptoms is essential to get help whenever you think you or someone close has these health issues. If you want additional information on brain tumors and some contact details of a specific neurosurgery service, among others, you can check Dickinsonneurosurgery.com.
To begin, here are the signs and symptoms of brain cancer and a brain tumor that you should be aware of:
1. Headaches
Some common headaches that people experience is caused by lack of sleep, stress, and hunger. Most individuals may undergo headaches at one point in their lives and can be expected. With this, you shouldn’t conclude that you have a brain tumor just because of the existence of headaches. However, you should still be cautious as worsening headaches are the usual symptoms of brain tumors. You can feel brain tumor headaches as dull and constant, with throbbing head pain happening more often. In addition, almost 46% of patients with brain tumors reported having headaches simultaneously.
Furthermore, people with brain tumors experience headaches because the brain tumors hinder the brain’s fluid from flowing as it should. The other possible reason is that it also puts pressure on the sensitive nerves and blood vessels. Certainly, a brain tumor can cause changes in a person’s normal pattern of headaches, like the following symptoms:
- The headache hurts more when you arise in the morning
- You have severe unexplained vomiting
- Pain relievers that you can buy at the counter aren’t effective
- The headache worsens when having exercise, when coughing, or when changing position
- There is a constant pain, but it’s not similar to a migraine
- New neurological symptoms accompany your headache
If you think that your headache is a symptom of a brain tumor or brain cancer, get a doctor’s help as soon as possible to get the best treatment.
2. Seizures
An immediate surge of electrical activity in the brain is called a seizure or epilepsy. It’s usually the first symptom of a brain tumor and can happen even before being diagnosed with such a health issue. The nature of seizures is different depending on the lobe it affects. Some seizures can be hard to notice, while others can be gravely debilitating. Brain-tumor related seizures are usually drug-resistant and can cause a challenge in treating patients who have them. And so, having a new generation drug cater to such can be beneficial.
In the same manner, you should know the various types of brain-tumor-related seizures. These are:
- Sensory seizures result in an unusual sense of smell, changes in vision such as seeing flashing lights, smacking lips, and other symptoms
- A tonic-clonic seizure is when a person loses consciousness, stiffens the muscles, and jerks at different intervals.
- Seizures that cause Deja vu like experiences
- Myoclonic seizures which may result in annoying muscle twitches without loss of consciousness
- Seizures that cause a person to sit still and stare into space without seeing his surroundings
3. Nausea and Vomiting
Nausea and vomiting can be a result of various things. Common reasons are migraine, rotavirus, intestinal obstruction, food poisoning, flu, motion sickness, and general anesthesia. However, it can also be a symptom of intracranial pathology such as brain tumors. Nausea or vomiting can be triggered in brain tumor patients because of increased intracranial pressure or direct stimulation of vomiting centers in the brain stem.
Additionally, you can have some signs that will tell you if having vomits is caused by brain tumors. Vomiting can become a symptom of a brain tumor if it occurs mainly in the morning, with or without nausea. Also, vomiting related to brain tumors can be triggered by abrupt changes in body position, such as rolling over in bed. Moreover, the kind of vomiting caused by brain tumors can also be grave and is usually projectile vomiting that varies from those caused by other reasons.
4. Vision Or Hearing Issues
Some brain tumors can result in hearing and visual problems. Specifically, tumors that develop near the optical nerve can cause double vision, blurred vision, or loss of peripheral vision. On top of that, abnormal eye movements, color blindness, foggy vision, partial or total blindness. Other vision changes such as seeing floating shapes or spots known as an ‘aura’ can also be a sign of a brain tumor. Likewise, a person should seek emergency help immediately if the brain tumor caused the pupil in one eye to become dilated. One way to treat this issue is to undergo physical or occupational therapy to retrain vision.
With regards to hearing issues, brain tumors and brain cancers can result in a person having one-sided hearing loss. The hearing loss can be slow or immediate. The person can also experience ringing in the ears or what’s called tinnitus.
The Bottom Line
A brain tumor is the dangerous growth of abnormal cells in the brain. It can grow in any area of the skull or brain, including the protective lining, brain stem, skull base, sinuses, nasal cavity. Likewise, brain tumors can develop into other parts of the body because of their pressure on the brain. There is a large percentage of individuals suffering from brain tumors, and the survival rate of each person varies according to different factors. There are also a lot of brain tumor patients who unfortunately were consumed by the disease.
As brain tumors and brain cancers can cause significant damage to a person’s brain, knowing about the signs and symptoms is crucial. It can allow you or someone close to you to get the medical help needed to avoid the worsening of the condition.