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.
Symptoms
Brain tumors will associate with two extensive classes of symptoms. The earliest symptoms will come from, as the tumor grows, there will be a rising pressure exerted in the brain. Since the covering of the brain (Skull) is a hard enclosure, it does not concede to the expansion, the consequences will be, first headaches that are a common, and one might fail to know it is resulting from a brain tumor. However, since it is because of a tumor, it will continue firmly and become more serious as the condition becomes worse. The difficult times of a victim will be mostly during the nights and in the early hours of the morning. Secondly, vomiting will be another symptom which has an option to be accompanied by nausea and will be an often occurrence to children compared to adults. Thirdly, seizures will be a definite symptom of brain tumor to an adult if the individual has no history of this condition and thus, such an individual should take serious measures that include Computer Tomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanning to understand better the condition. The other symptom is that a victim will experience a change in mental capability or individual's distinctive characters. Either the patient or his/her close associates can identify the symptoms independently. The final symptoms are those that helps in location of the tumor as an effect of the pressure exerted on the surrounding areas. They include a large number of symptoms but the locally noted include the weakening of different body parts, which can be on the arms or legs, poor maintenance of balance, memory weakening and in worst cases damaging, visual difficulties, communication difficulties, and a modified kind of sensing. When it involves a stem tumor, it affects the nerve functions that leave the brain at the bottom part (Health Encyclopedia, n.p.).
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.).
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