Brain tumor classification, epidemiology, and clinical characteristics

Brain tumors originate from the brain as primary or secondary tumors, where origin cell type defines the tumor dictating the appropriate kind of treatment.

Brain tumors originate from the brain cells being either primary or secondary tumors.

The type of cells from which brain tumors originate describes the types of various brain tumors.

Symptoms of brain tumors start as common ailments but as the condition worsens, clear symptoms start to appear.

Diagnosis of brain tumors bases of the medical history of the patient giving information on the appropriate treatment that is depends on type, location, and condition of the patient.

Brain Tumors

Description

For long time, brain tumors have been serious conditions that can affect individuals without compromise of their age. For example, in the United States of America, the primary brain tumors constitute approximately 1% of all reported cases, which approximates 13,000 cases translating to about 2.5% deaths annually (Health Encyclopedia, n.p.). Being a mild or cancerous growth that happens in the brain, brain tumors can be either primary brain tumors, originating from the tissues of the brain or secondary tumors, which will originate from other parts of the body and spreads affecting the brain and the type of origin cells defines the tumor dictating the appropriate kind of treatment.

To children, primary brain tumors constitutes to the greater percentage of solid tumor cases. To the grownups, researches indicate that form the latest cases, there has been a gradual increase of cases with age, where the greatest number is found to be between the 50 and 55 years. The brain is also a destination of transferred tumors from other parts of the body (metastasis). For example, the breast, lung, and kidney cancers are prone to transfer to the brain (Ali-Osman 126). Considering this situation, if a physician discovers that an individual diagnosed earlier with a tumor in other parts of the body, he/she would be highly inclined towards thinking of a metastasis case compared to a primary one. The brain is also vulnerable to being part of a straightforward enlargement of nasal tumors.

Types

The origin of brain tumors describes the types of various brain tumors. There are those brain tumors that originate from different kinds of cells found in the brain and others associate with supporting tissues, and constitute a greater percentage of cases compared to those resulting from nerve cells. The fundamental aspect in naming tumors bases on the type of cell from which the tumor develops. For example, if a tumor arises from neural-supporting cell, this kind of tumor will be an astrocytome, which is an astrocyte tumor. Those tumors arising from the linings of the cells on the unblocked parts found inside the spinal cord as well as the brain will be the ependymoma where else tumors associated with the neurons will take different kinds such as ganglioneuroma, neuroblstoma or retinoblastoma. Apart from the above three kinds, other tumors appear to be uncommon and they associate with particular cells in the brain. These will include germinoma, pinealoma as well as choroid plexus carcinoma (Health Encyclopedia, n.p.). From all these types, some may lack clearly perceived causes but their symptoms help in diagnosis.

Diagnosis

During diagnosis, a physician will have interest on the medical past and other examination of the patient and then armed with the information; the physician might advice on additional examination, which can include a head Computer Tomography (CT) scan or a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). From the results obtained, physicians will advice accordingly (Ali-Osman 113).

Treatment

The treatment that a patient receives on brain tumors depends on the type and location of the tumor as well as the victim's condition. In most cases, surgery remains the main method of treating brain tumors, mostly for primary ones. Considering the advancement in current technology concerning imaging, early detections, drugs to reduce swellings, complex organization, high tech anesthetic control, specialized microscopes and surgical equipment, they have increased the efficiency of operations such that these procedures take place with significant safety. For example, the latest surgical equipment will enable the removal of tumors with little if not none brain tissue disturbance. For these cases, an ultrasonic aspirator will enable the breakdown of the tumor such that by suction, the tumor is removed (Ali-Osman 126).

The choice of surgery as the appropriate procedure has different importance. First, surgery can apply for examination purposes or help in the removal of the affected tissue (curative resection) which can be a complete or partial removal of the sick tissue, choice dictated by professional advice. Other procedures help to reduce pressure exerted by the growth and this will include use of shunts in the fluid vessels of the brain (Schiffer 26). Some surgeries that involve complete removal of the tumor will include the tumors with mild history. For example, such tumors will be the nurofibromas, meningiomas, acoustic schwannomas and low-grade astrocytomas (Health Encyclopedia, n.p.).

There is a procedure known as Gamma knife surgery, which is changing the management of brain disorders. This procedure calls for a patient to put on a helmet that has rounded holes form which gamma radiation is concentrated on to a specified target allowing treatment of the affected cells without much disturbance, if not none to the surrounding cells. Taking up to 40 minutes, the procedure will not call for serious anesthesia. In some cases however, if surgeries do not completely remove the tumor, other older methods of radiation therapy can supplement the procedure like chemotherapy.

In conclusion, brain tumors originate from the brain as primary or secondary tumors, where origin cell type defines the tumor dictating the appropriate kind of treatment. Although a significant number of primary brain tumors, may lack concise causes, symptoms that start as normal ailments but later turn serious help in diagnosis of brain tumors. Then by understanding a patient's medical history and type, location and condition of a patient, appropriate treatment can commence where surgery remains a major form of treatment.