brain, spinal cord, and nerve disorders
Some Specific Brain Tumors
Primary Brain Lymphoma
Primary brain lymphoma originates in nerve tissue in the brain, spinal cord, or meninges (layers of tissue that cover the brain and spinal cord). Primary brain lymphoma is becoming more common, particularly among older people and people with a weakened (immunocompromised) immune system (such as people who have AIDS or who have had an organ transplant). The Infectious Mononucleosis , which causes infectious mononucleosis, may contribute to the development of lymphoma in people with HIV infection or a weakened immune system. Primary brain lymphoma may form several tumors in the brain or sometimes only one. Sometimes brain lymphoma affects the retina and optic nerve in the eye because nerves from the brain extend into the eye. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Sometimes a spinal tap or biopsy MRI may help doctors diagnose primary brain lymphoma. However, MRI findings may be inconclusive. Then a biopsy or spinal tap (lumbar puncture) is done. A Spinal Tap is done to obtain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for examination under a microscope. A spinal tap may help when the diagnosis or the type of tumor is unclear. When lymphoma affects the meninges (which cover the brain and spinal cord), lymphoma cells may be detected in the CSF. However, a spinal tap cannot be done if people have a large tumor that is increasing pressure within the skull. In these people, removing CSF during a spinal tap may cause the tumor to move. The brain may be pushed sideways and downward through small openings that are normally present in the relatively rigid sheets of tissue that divide the brain into compartments. The result is If the CSF does not contain lymphoma cells, biopsy of the brain is required. Doctors do a Slit-Lamp Examination to look for tumors in the retina or optic nerve at the back of eye. Doctors do the following to make sure that lymphoma first developed in the brain rather than elsewhere in the body and then spread to the brain: Biopsy of bone marrow Imaging tests of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis These tests also help determine how extensive the lymphoma is. Corticosteroids Chemotherapy Radiation therapy Corticosteroids can shrink the tumor, decrease the swelling around it, and result in rapid improvement at first. However, the improvement does not last. Chemotherapy may result in long-lasting improvement. Several chemotherapy medications, such asmethotrexateand cytosine arabinoside, are used. These medications are given in high doses by vein (intravenously). Chemotherapy medications can also be injected into the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. The medication is injected into the space around the spinal cord through a needle inserted between two back bones (vertebrae) in the lower spine. Sometimes immunotherapy medications that target specific proteins on the surface of lymphoma cells are given with chemotherapy.Rituximabis an example. Some chemotherapy medications given in high dose can affect stem cells that develop into blood cells. If such medications are used, stem cells can be removed from a person's blood before chemotherapy is started, then added back after chemotherapy. This procedure (called Procedure ) can restore the production of blood cells. Some people have conditions that prevent them from having autologous stem cell transplantation. They may benefit from radiation therapy. Because primary brain lymphoma tends to spread throughout the brain, whole-brain radiation is used. 