World Brain Tumour Day

The “Deutsche Hirntumorhilfe e.V.” (German Brain Tumor Association) started this international commemoration day in the year 2000 as a tribute to all brain tumour patients and their families. It is celebrated annually on 8 June.

Brain tumour is one of the deadliest diseases in Germany and brain tumour related disease is tenth leading cause of morbidity in India.

The aim of commemorating this day is to draw global attention towards the disease, to encourage research into the topic and raise awareness about brain tumors.

A brain tumor is a mass or growth of abnormal cells in the brain. 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 one's brain (primary brain tumors), or cancer can begin in other parts of one's body and spread to one's brain (secondary, or metastatic, brain tumors).

Symptoms of brain tumours

General symptoms include:-

Headaches, which may be severe and worsen with activity or in the early morning

Seizures. People may experience different types of seizures. Certain drugs can help prevent or control them. Motor seizures, also called convulsions, are sudden involuntary movements of a person’s muscles. The different types of seizures and what they look like are listed below:

Myoclonic

Single or multiple muscle twitches, jerks, spasms

Tonic-Clonic (Grand Mal)

Loss of consciousness and body tone, followed by twitching and relaxing muscles that are called contractions

Loss of control of body functions, such as loss of bladder control

May be a short 30-second period of no breathing and a person's skin may turn a shade of blue, purple, gray, white, or green

After this type of seizure, a person may be sleepy and experience a headache, confusion, weakness, numbness, and sore muscles.

Sensory

Change in sensation, vision, smell, and/or hearing without losing consciousness

Complex partial

May cause a loss of awareness or a partial or total loss of consciousnes

May be associated with repetitive, unintentional movements, such as twitching

Personality or memory changes

Nausea or vomiting

Fatigue

Drowsiness

Sleep problems

Memory problems

Changes in ability to walk or perform daily activities

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 isused 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.

Causes of brain tumour 

No one is 100 % sure what causes most brain tumors. Mutations (changes) or defects in genes may cause cells in the brain to grow uncontrollably, causing a tumor.

The only known environmental cause of brain tumors is having exposure to large amounts of radiation from X-rays or previous cancer treatment. Some brain tumors occur when hereditary conditions are passed down among family members.

Who is at risk of developing a brain tumor?

People who have higher risk for brain tumors include those who have:-

Family history of cancer

Genetic mutation that causes abnormal cell growth.

Long-term exposure to radiation from X-rays or treatment for other cancers.

Exposure to certain chemicals (possible cause).

Prevention against brain tumor

You cannot prevent a brain tumor. You can reduce your risk of developing a brain tumor by avoiding environmental hazards such as smoking and excessive exposure to radiation.

Procedures and tests diagnose the type and grade of a brain tumor

If you have symptoms that suggest a brain tumor, your doctor will give you a physical exam and ask about your personal and family health history. You may have one or more of the following tests:

Neurologic exam: Your doctor checks your vision, hearing, alertness, muscle strength, coordination, and reflexes. Your doctor also examines your eyes to look for swelling caused by a tumor pressing on the nerve that connects the eye and the brain.

MRI: A large machine with a strong magnet linked to a computer is used to make detailed pictures of areas inside your head. Sometimes a special dye (contrast material) is injected into a blood vessel in your arm or hand to help show differences in the tissues of the brain. The pictures can show abnormal areas, such as a tumor.

CT scan: An x-ray machine linked to a computer takes a series of detailed pictures of your head. You may receive contrast material by injection into a blood vessel in your arm or hand. The contrast material makes abnormal areas easier to see. 

Your doctor may ask for other tests:

Angiogram: Dye injected into the bloodstream makes blood vessels in the brain show up on an x-ray. If a tumor is present, the x-ray may show the tumor or blood vessels that are feeding into the tumor.

Spinal tap: Your doctor may remove a sample of cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid that fills the spaces in and around the brain and spinal cord). This procedure is performed with local anesthesia. The doctor uses a long, thin needle to remove fluid from the lower part of the spinal column. A spinal tap takes about 30 minutes. You must lie flat for several hours afterward to keep from getting a headache. A laboratory checks the fluid for cancer cells or other signs of problems.

Biopsy: The removal of tissue to look for tumor cells is called a biopsy. A pathologist looks at the cells under a microscope to check for abnormal cells. A biopsy can show cancer, tissue changes that may lead to cancer, and other conditions. A biopsy is the only sure way to diagnose a brain tumor, learn what grade it is, and plan treatment. Surgeons can obtain tissue to look for tumor cells in two ways:

Biopsy at the same time as treatment: The surgeon takes a tissue sample when you have surgery to remove part or all of the tumor. See the Surgery section.

Stereotactic biopsy: You may get local or general anesthesia and wear a rigid head frame for this procedure. The surgeon makes a small incision in the scalp and drills a small hole (a burr hole) into the skull. CT or MRI is used to guide the needle through the burr hole to the location of the tumor. The surgeon withdraws a sample of tissue with the needle. A needle biopsy may be used when a tumor is deep inside the brain or in a part of the brain that can't be operated on.

However, if the tumor is in the brain stem or certain other areas, the surgeon may not be able to remove tissue from the tumor without harming normal brain tissue. In this case, the doctor uses MRI, CT, or other imaging tests to learn as much as possible about the brain tumor.

Treatments for a brain tumor

Brain tumor treatment depends on the tumor’s location, size and type. Doctors often use a combination of therapies to treat a tumor.

Your treatment options might include:

Surgery: When possible, surgeons remove the tumor. They work very carefully, sometimes doing surgery when you are awake, to minimize damage to functional areas of the brain.

Radiation therapy: High doses of X-rays destroy brain tumor cells or shrink the tumor. Some people have radiation before surgery to shrink a brain tumor so that the surgeon can remove less tissue.

Chemotherapy: Anti-cancer drugs kill cancer cells in the brain and throughout the body. You might receive chemotherapy through an injection into a vein or take as a pill. In some cases, doctors use chemotherapy before surgery to make the tumor smaller. Your doctor may recommend chemotherapy after surgery to kill any cancer cells left behind or to prevent remaining tumor cells from growing.

Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy, also called biological therapy, is a type of treatment that uses your body's own immune system to fight cancer. The therapy mainly consists of stimulating the immune system to help it do its job more effectively.

Targeted therapy: Drugs target specific features in cancer cells without harming healthy cells. Your doctor may recommend targeted therapy if you have trouble tolerating the side effects of chemotherapy, such as fatigue and nausea.

Laser thermal ablation: This treatment uses lasers to heat and destroy tumor cells.

Watchful waiting/active surveillance: A doctor closely monitors the tumor for signs of growth with regular testing, but does not take any other action.

Treatment options and recommendations depend on several factors

The size, type, and grade of the tumor

Whether the tumor is putting pressure on vital parts of the brain

If the tumor has spread to other parts of the CNS or body

Possible side effects

The patient’s preferences and overall health

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References :-

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/6149-brain-cancer-brain-tumor

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.latestly.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/world-brain-tumour-day-2021-know-date-history-and-significance-of-the-day-that-raises-awareness-about-brain-tumor-2528842.html/amp

https://www.braintumour.ca/get-involved/raising-awareness/world-awareness-day/

https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/brain-tumor/symptoms-and-signs

https://www.medicinenet.com/brain_tumor/article.htm