Malignant Brain Tumor

When there is abnormal growth of cells in the brain or the central spinal canal, it causes brain tumor. Whenever there is uncontrolled division of cells in the brain or any of the part of the brain like pineal gland, or the blood vessels, it may cause tumors. Moreover, cancers may spread from other parts of the body and may affect the brain as well thereby causing brain cancer. There are different types of brain tumors, some are non cancerous while others are malignant or cancerous. Malignant brain tumor are a serious condition and may be a life-threatening one as it is invasive and can spread to other parts of the body. The following paragraphs would give you the types of malignant brain tumor, its symptoms and treatment options.

Malignant Brain Tumor Types
There are basically two types of brain tumors - primary and secondary. The primary tumors are those which originate in the brain while secondary tumors are those which occurs in another part of the body and then spread to the brain. Malignant brain tumor are graded in scales of 1 to 4, and these grades depend on whether they are cancerous or non cancerous and their size. Depending on the part of the brain and the kind of cells effected, the names of primary malignant tumors differ. The most common primary malignant brain tumor are gliomas and they start in the glial cells.

There are other types of gliomas which do not originate in the glial cells and the most common of them are medulloblastoma, meningioma, schwannoma and craniopharyngioma. In medulloblastoma, the tumor starts in the cerebellum and is more common in children. If tumor originates in the meninges, it's called meningioma, while tumor that originates in the schwann cells is called schwannoma tumor or schwannoma. The schwann cells are found in the linings of the nerves and are responsible for controlling hearing and balancing. If the tumor grows near the pituitary gland on the base of the brain it's called craniopharyngioma.

Malignant Brain Tumor Symptoms
Malignant brain tumor symptoms in adults vary, and these variations depend on the location type and size of the tumor. It's when the tumors damage certain areas of the brain or when they start pressing the nerves, that symptoms are visible. One of the most common symptoms that an individual can experience is the continuous brain tumor headaches, which is most severe in the morning. It may be accompanied by vomiting or nausea, besides change in hearing, vision and speech. Moreover, a person with this type of brain tumor would find it difficult to walk and balance himself. Additionally, there may be frequent change in mood of the individual and loss of memory. Other common brain tumor early symptoms include seizures, convulsions and tingling or numbness of the arms and legs. If you get any one of these symptoms, get in touch with a doctor immediately, even though these symptoms may be due to some other condition.

Malignant Brain Tumor Treatment
Brain tumor treatment options vary depending on the grade, size, location and type of tumor. Tumor cells can be detected in the cerebrospinal fluid, and the doctor would diagnose that first to arrive at a conclusion. There are several treatment options and they include chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. Depending on the type and stage of tumor, a combination of these treatment options can be used. Most brain tumors require surgery, wherein the skull is opened and the tumor removed. All precautions are taken for the safety of the patient, but still you need to ask the doctor questions related to post operation pain, the duration of stay in the hospital, long term and side effects if any, chances of complete recovery and the duration it would take for complete recovery. Many a time, surgery may not be possible and that's when radiation therapy or chemotherapy is used.

High energy rays like protons, gamma rays or X-rays are used to kill tumor cells during a radiation therapy. Radiation is aimed at the malignant tumor and the surrounding tissues so that the tumor cells are killed. If surgery is performed, this process usually follows so as to kill any tumor cells which may have remained.

In chemotherapy, certain drugs are used to destroy cancer cells. They may either be injected or taken orally and they are spread throughout the body with the help of the blood. Usually the drugs are given over a period of time, so that there is a phase of recovery after each period of treatment.

Malignant Brain Tumor Survival Rate
Survival rate of people diagnosed with malignant brain tumor depends on the stage at which it's detected, besides how well the patient responds to treatment. However, having said that, there are times when people have survived for several years after they have been treated for malignant brain tumor. Many a time doctors say that such patients may live for a year or two years, but it has been found that many people live longer than that. You may like to know more on brain tumor survival rate, so that you get all the details of surviving brain tumors.

So there are different types of malignant brain tumor, and there are a number of symptoms which you need to look out for. If not treated on time, this condition may be life-threatening, so consult your doctor as soon as possible. As with all medical conditions, the doctor known best, so you need to consult one, if you find anything wrong with your body.