brain, spinal cord, and nerve disorders
Overview of Brain Tumors
Symptoms of Brain Tumors
Symptoms can occur whether a brain tumor is noncancerous or cancerous. Noncancerous tumors grow slowly and may become quite large before causing symptoms. Cancerous tumors usually grow rapidly. A brain tumor can cause many different symptoms, and symptoms may occur suddenly or develop gradually. Which symptoms develop first and how they develop depend on the tumor’s size, growth rate, and location. In some parts of the brain, even a small tumor can have devastating effects. In other parts of the brain, tumors can grow relatively large before any symptoms appear. As the tumor grows, it pushes and stretches but usually does not destroy nerve tissue, which can compensate for these changes very well. Thus, symptoms may not develop at first. Many symptoms result from increased pressure within the skull: Headache Deterioration in mental function Problems due to pressure on specific structures in or near the brain, such as the nerve to the eye (optic nerve) Overview of Headache is the most common and often the first symptom. However, some people with brain tumors do not get headaches, and most headaches are not caused by brain tumors. A headache due to a brain tumor usually recurs more and more often as time passes. It is often worse when people lie down. The headache may be most intense when people awaken from sleep, then lessen later in the day. If headaches with these characteristics start in people who have not had headaches before, a brain tumor may be the cause. Often, increased pressure within the skull also causes mental function to deteriorate and mood to worsen. The personality may change. For example, people may become withdrawn, moody, and, often, inefficient at work. They may feel drowsy, confused, and unable to think. Such symptoms are often more apparent to family members and co-workers than to the affected person. Depression and anxiety, especially if either develops suddenly, may be an early symptom of a brain tumor. People may behave bizarrely. They may become uninhibited or behave in ways they never have before. In older people, certain brain tumors cause symptoms that may be mistaken for those of Dementia . Later, as the pressure within the skull increases, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, increased drowsiness, intermittent fever, and even Stupor and Coma may occur. Vision may blur suddenly when people change positions. Depending on which area of the brain is affected (see page Brain Dysfunction by Location ), a tumor can do any of the following: Cause an arm, a leg, or one side of the body to become weak or paralyzed Impair the ability to feel heat, cold, pressure, a light touch, or sharp objects Make people unable to express or understand language Increase or decrease the pulse and breathing rates if the tumor compresses the brain stem Reduce alertness Impair the ability to hear, smell, or see (causing such symptoms as double vision and loss of vision) For example, a Pituitary Gland Tumors may press on the nearby optic nerves (2nd Other common symptoms of a brain tumor include Dizziness and Vertigo , loss of balance, and incoordination. Some brain tumors, usually primary tumors, cause If a tumor blocks the flow of cerebrospinal fluid through the spaces within the brain (ventricles), fluid may accumulate in the ventricles, causing them to enlarge (a condition called hydrocephalus). As a result, pressure within the skull increases. In addition to other symptoms of increased pressure, hydrocephalus makes turning the eyes upward difficult. In infants and very young children, the head enlarges. If the pressure within the skull is greatly increased, the brain may be pushed downward because the skull cannot expand. Herniation: The Brain Under Pressure may result. Two common types are Transtentorial herniation:The upper part of the brain (cerebrum) is forced through the narrow opening (the tentorial notch) in the relatively rigid tissue that separates the cerebrum from the lower parts of the brain (cerebellum and brain stem). In people with this type of herniation, consciousness is reduced. The side of the body opposite the tumor may be paralyzed. Tonsillar herniation:A tumor that originates in the lower part of the brain pushes the lowest part of the cerebellum (cerebellar tonsils) through the opening at the base of the skull (foramen magnum). As a result, the brain stem, which controls breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure, is compressed and malfunctions. If not diagnosed and treated immediately, a tonsillar herniation rapidly results in coma and death. People with metastases to the brain may also have symptoms related to the original cancer. For example, if the cancer originated in the lungs, people may cough up bloody mucus. With metastases, weight loss is common. Symptoms worsen over time unless the tumor is treated. With treatment, particularly for benign tumors, some people completely recover. For others, life span is shortened, sometimes greatly. The outcome depends on the type and location of the tumor. The brain consists of the cerebrum, brain stem, and cerebellum. Each half (hemisphere) of the cerebrum is divided into lobes. 