A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of cells within the brain or the central spinal canal. Brain tumors can crop up from the brain cells, the membranes around the brain (known as meninges), nerves, or glands. These damage produce inflammation and places pressure within the skull and compresses the brain tissues. All such tumours are intrinsically serious and life-threatening because of its insidious and infiltrative character in the intracranial cavity.
The following types of brain tumours are seen
commonly:
In children:
Juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma, craniopharyngioma, medulloblastoma, brainstem
glioma and germ cell tumours.
In adults:
Astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma, ependymoma, meningioma, vestibular schwannoma
and lymphoma. Cancers from other parts of the body can also spread to brain.
What are the common symptoms of brain tumours
- Headaches, usually in the morning
- Vomiting
- Convulsions or seizures
- Weakness in limbs
- Loss of balance while walking
- Altered speech or vision
- Altered behaviour
- Loss of orientation
- Memory lapses
Imaging: CT
scan or MRI scan of brain is commonly performed.
Biopsy: A
piece of tumour is removed for examination by open surgery or in stereotactic
fashion using rigid frame to fix skull and localizing tumour under guidance of
CT scan or MRI.
How are brain tumours treated?
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Brain tumours
are treated by surgery, radiation therapy or chemotherapy, or a combination of
these. The choice of treatment depends upon the age of the patient, type of
tumour, its location, size and grade.
Surgery:
Maximum safe resection of the tumour or at least a biopsy is the standard goal
of surgery.
Radiation
therapy: Radiation kills tumour cells with high energy X-rays, gamma rays or
protons. It is usually started after surgery and given over 5-6 weeks.
Chemotherapy:
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. It is given orally or
through veins. It is given concomitantly with radiation therapy in high-grade
tumours. It is also given in recurrent brain tumours after failure of initial
treatment.
The Advances Radiation Therapy for Brain Tumours
3-Dimensional
Conformal Radiation Therapy (3D-CRT) and Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy
(IMRT):
CT scan and MRI
are used to delineate the tumour and computers are used for radiation planning.
Only the tumour and the high-risk region surrounding the tumour is radiated,
avoiding radiation to
the normal
structures in the brain.
Stereotactic
Radio-surgery (SRS) and Stereotactic Radiotherapy (SRT): Highly precise
immobilization and image guidance system is used for treatment of selected brain
tumours. High dose of radiation is delivered only to the tumour with very minimal
spillage of dose to the rest of the sensitive brain structures. Stereotactic radiotherapy
is preferred in children. Stereotactic radio-surgery delivering high-dose of
radiation in single or a very few sessions is performed in adults with tumours
such as metastatic residual glioma, meningioma and schwannoma. Novalis-Tx and
Cyberknife are advanced machines to deliver such high-precision therapy.
High-definition Rapid Arc: This is the latest software advancement in radiation
planning technology. Radiation is delivered in continuous fashion moving the machine
head and its small components simultaneously around the patient's head targeting
the tumour by infinite small radiation beams. Radiation treatment with such a
technique is highly precise and fast. This is preferred in children and elderly
patients who cannot lie on treatment couches for long periods.
Proton beam
therapy: Proton therapy avoids spillage of radiation dose to the surrounding
brain. It is preferred in children as well as in patients with recurrent tumours
who have received radiation therapy earlier.
Brain Tumor is no more a scary health condition as modern technology and advanced surgical modalities now offer near perfect clinical outcomes and the patients can soon return to normal life after surgery.
- Brain Suite - Intra-operative MR Navigation Microsurgery
- Trans-Nasal Endoscopic Removal of brain Tumor through the nose
- Stereotactic Radiosurgery - Gamma Knife & Novalis TX
- Tumor Embolization using Neuro Interventional Radiology
- CyberKnife Radiosurgery
Please
scan and email your medical reports to us at care@medworldindia.com and we
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