Back to Site

  1. Home
  2. >
  3. world brain tumour day
Brain-Tumour-Awareness-Week

Brain tumour: Myths & Facts

Oct 27th, 2020

Posts Tagged ‘ world brain tumour day ’

Brain tumour: Myths & Facts

Tuesday, October 27th, 2020

A brain tumour is an abnormal growth of tissue in the brain or central spine that can disrupt proper brain function. There are two main types of tumours namely, malignant and benign(non-malignant) tumours. Benign brain tumours are non-cancerous, while malignant primary brain tumours are cancerous, globally less than one-third of brain tumours are cancerous. This disease can occur at any age. The incidence of this neurological disorder in India ranges from 5 to 10 per 100,000 population with an increasing trend. Twenty percent of these cases are seen in children. Increasing the awareness, busting the many myths, early diagnosis and timely treatment is the right way to fight brain tumour.

Symptoms of Brain tumour
The following is a list of common symptoms which, alone or combined, can be caused by a brain tumour (malignant or non-malignant):

  • Headaches-early morning headache
  • Morning nausea and vomiting
  • Behavioural changes
  • Cognitive changes
  • Dizziness or unsteadiness
  • Speech disturbances
  • Double or blurred vision
  • Hearing impairment
  • Seizures
  • Weakness or Paralysis

Myths and facts of Brain tumour
Brain tumour is one of the most challenging and complex cancers and needs a multidisciplinary approach for treatment and recovery. Myths and misconceptions about brain tumour, its risk factors, how it spreads, and treatment options are widespread. Let us break down some of the most common myths and misconceptions about brain tumours:

  • Myth 1:  All brain tumours are cancerous.
    Fact: Only one-third of brain tumours are cancerous. Most of the non-cancerous brain tumours can be treated completely.
  • Myth 2: Brain tumour always originates in the brain.
    Fact: A brain tumour can originate in the brain and can also be a result of metastasis of cancer from other parts of the body like kidney, breast, lungs, intestine etc. The former is called primary tumours whereas the second type of brain tumour is called the secondary tumour which is quite frequent than the first one.
  • Myth 3: Brain cancer doesn’t affect young people.
    Fact: Brain tumours can occur at any age. Newborns have also been found to have a brain tumour. Brain tumour is the second most common cancer among children in our country.
  • Myth 4: Brain tumour runs in families.
    Fact: There is no evidence to suggest that people who have family members with brain tumors are more likely to get brain tumour.
  • Myth 5: Using Mobile phones causes brain tumour.
    Fact: There is no research evidence to suggest that mobile phone or any other type of radiation causes brain tumour but long exposures to radiation can have severe negative effects on the overall health and hence, should not be taken lightly.
  • Myth 6: Brain Cancer is a very common condition.
    Fact: Overall, the chance that a person will develop a malignant tumor of the brain in his or her lifetime is less than 1%.
  • Myth 7: Lifestyle modification can prevent Brain Tumors.
    Fact: An individual’s lifestyle does not lead to brain tumours and hence lifestyle modifications cannot prevent brain tumours. However, making healthy lifestyle choices help benefit your overall health.  Daily exercise, a balanced diet that is high in fibre, staying away from chewing tobacco, smoking and alcohol is good for health.
  • Myth 8: All brain tumour patients have the same signs and symptoms.
    Fact: Every person diagnosed with a brain tumour will have different symptoms depending on the size, site and grade of tumour. While some people do not develop symptoms other may have symptoms that worsen over time eventually leading to a diagnosis.
  • Myth 9: Treatment for a brain tumour is standard and accessible to anyone affected.
    Fact: Treatment of Brain tumours depends on the site, size and type of tumor. It includes Surgery, Radiation and Chemotherapy. These are available only in Tertiary centers.
  • Myth 10: Frequent headaches and blurred vision indicate brain tumour.
    Fact: Not all patients with headaches and blurred vision have brain tumour. There are hundreds of causes of headaches which needs proper investigation.

At Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital we have a dedicated team of neurosurgeons, medical oncologists, paediatric oncologists and radiation oncologist specialised in Neurooncolgy to diagnose and treat brain tumours. Our Centre for Neurosciences is equipped with the latest in world class technology that assists the doctors to achieve maximal safe resection of all tumours. Our highly experienced team of specialists performs over 1373 brain tumour surgeries successfully . The team uses the latest operative advances with navigation, awake surgery techniques, neurophysiology monitoring with MEP and SSEP. Please find below our website link for further details: https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/centresofexcellence/centrefor_neurosciences/braintumor.html

This blog is written by Dr. Abhaya Kumar, Head, Neurosurgery and Consultant, Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. For more information about Dr. Kumar please click here

World Brain Tumour Day

Thursday, June 4th, 2020

A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue in the brain or central spine that can disrupt proper brain function. There are over 120 types of brain and central nervous system tumors. Brain and spinal cord tumors are different for everyone. They form in different areas, develop from different cell types, and may have different treatment options.

The brain is the body organ composed of nerve cells and supportive tissues like glial cells and meninges – there are three major parts – they control your activity like breathing (brain stem), an activity like moving muscles to walk (cerebellum) and your senses like sight and our memory, emotions, thinking and personality (cerebrum). This is how brain tumors are classified:

  • Benign: The least aggressive type of brain tumor is often called a benign brain tumor. They originate from cells within or surrounding the brain, do not contain cancer cells, grow slowly, and typically have clear borders that do not spread into other tissue.
  • Malignant: Malignant brain tumors contain cancer cells and often do not have clear borders. They are considered to be life-threatening because they grow rapidly and invade surrounding brain tissue.
  • Primary: Tumors that start in cells of the brain are called primary brain tumors. Primary brain tumors may spread to other parts of the brain or the spine, but rarely to other organs.
  • Metastatic: Metastatic or secondary brain tumors begin in another part of the body and then spread to the brain. These tumors are more common than primary brain tumors and are named by the location in which they begin.

Types of Brain Tumours

Doctors group brain tumors by grade: grade I, grade II, grade III, or grade IV -the most severe. The grade is determined by the way the cells look under a microscope. The higher the grade number, the more abnormal the cells appear, and the more aggressively the tumor usually behaves.

The most common types of primary brain tumors among adults are astrocytoma, meningiom (a tumor that arises from the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord), and oligodendroglioma.

The most common types of primary brain tumors in children are medulloblastoma, grade I or II astrocytoma, (or glioma) ependymoma, and brain stem glioma.

Symptoms of Brain tumor:

Symptoms of brain tumors depend on the location and size of the tumor. Some tumors cause direct damage by invading brain tissue and some tumors cause pressure on the surrounding brain. You’ll have noticeable symptoms when a growing tumor is putting pressure on your brain tissue. Some of these symptoms include:

  • Severe headaches that become more frequent.
  • Unexplained nausea or vomiting.
  • Gradual loss of sensation or movement in an arm or a leg.
  • Difficulty with balance.
  • Vision problems, such as blurred vision double vision or loss of vision.
  • Speech difficulties.
  • Seizures, with no previous history of seizures.

Risk factors of Brain tumors:

Although there are no known causes why Brain tumors occur certain factors highly increase a person’s risk of getting brain tumors. Here are the common risk factors:

  • Family history: Only about 5 to 10 percent of all cancers are genetically inherited, or hereditary. It’s rare for a brain tumor to be genetically inherited.
  • Age: The risk for most types of brain tumors increases with age.
  • Chemical exposure: Being exposed to hazardous chemicals at work or elsewhere can increase your risk of brain tumor. 
  • Exposure to radiation: People who have been exposed to ionizing radiation have an increased risk of brain tumors. This can happen during high-radiation cancer therapies.

Treatment at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital:

Treatment options for Brain tumors 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 body.
  • Possible side effects.
  • The patient’s overall health.

In most cases, a brain tumor diagnosis requires immediate surgery or alternative treatment. Experts at our Centre for Neurosciences work together and create a comprehensive treatment plan for the patient. A multi-disciplinary team that includes neurosurgeons, neurologists, medical and paediatric oncologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists and other medical professionals may be part of the treatment team.

The standard treatment for brain tumors includes surgery, radiation therapy, and/or chemotherapy. Advanced treatments like targeted therapy,  stereotactic radiosurgery and robotic surgery are also being used to treat a brain tumor. Additionally Palliative care, as well as neuro-rehabilitaion services, help support the patient’s recovery.

Looking for the best Brain Tumor treatment for a loved one? Consult highly trained experts at our Centre for Neurosciences which are supported by high-end technologies too. Please find below link for more details:

https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/centresofexcellence/centrefor_neurosciences/braintumor.html