Brain Tumour

A brain tumor (or brain tumour) is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor (defined as an abnormal growth of cells) within the brain or the central spinal canal.

Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal. They are created by an abnormal and uncontrolled cell division, normally either in the brain itself (neurons, glial cells (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, ependymal cells, myelin-producing Schwann cells), lymphatic tissue, blood vessels), in the cranial nerves, in the brain envelopes (meninges), skull, pituitary and pineal gland, or spread from cancers primarily located in other organs (metastatic tumors).

Any brain tumor is inherently serious and life-threatening because of its invasive and infiltrative character in the limited space of the intracranial cavity. However, brain tumors (even malignant ones) do not automatically cause death. Brain tumors or intracranial neoplasms can be cancerous (malignant) or non-cancerous (benign); however, the definitions of malignant or benign neoplasms differs from those commonly used in other types of cancerous or non-cancerous neoplasms in the body. Its threat level depends on the combination of factors like the type of tumor, its location, its size and its state of development. Because the brain is well protected by the skull, the early detection of a brain tumor only occurs when diagnostic tools are directed at the intracranial cavity. Usually detection occurs in advanced stages when the presence of the tumor has side effects that cause unexplained symptoms.

Primary (true) brain tumors are commonly located in the posterior cranial fossa in children and in the anterior two-thirds of the cerebral hemispheres in adults, although they can affect any part of the brain.

Brain tumour symptoms

The most common symptoms of a brain tumour are headaches and fits. But do remember that there are much more common reasons for both these symptoms. A fit can just be jerking or twitching of a hand, arm or leg. Or it may affect the whole body.
A growing tumour causes pressure inside the skull. You may hear this called ‘raised intracranial pressure’. This causes headache, sickness and drowsiness. It can also cause fits and problems with your eyes.
A brain tumour presses on the brain tissue around it. So it will affect the part of the body, or the body process, that is controlled by that part of the brain. This means that brain tumours can cause a very wide range of symptoms. Physical symptoms can include weakness or numbness in a particular part of the body, or problems with one of your senses. Brain tumours can also cause personality changes and problems with thinking, speaking, remembering or concentrating.

Here are symptoms that can be caused by tumours in different parts of the brain and the spinal cord:

Position of the tumour	Symptoms
Frontal lobe	Changes in personality Swearing or behaving in a way that you normally wouldn't (loss of inhibitions) Losing interest in life (apathy) Difficulty with planning and organising Being irritable or aggressive Weakness in part of the face, or on one side of the body Difficulty walking Loss of sense of smell Problems with your sight or speech
Temporal lobe	Forgetting words Short term memory loss Fits associated with strange feelings, smells or déjà vu (a feeling you have been somewhere or done something before)
Parietal lobe	Difficulty speaking or understanding what is said to you Problems with reading or writing Loss of feeling in part of the body
Occipital lobe	Sight problems or loss of vision on one side
Hindbrain (cerebellum)	Poor co-ordination Uncontrolled movement of the eyes Sickness Neck stiffness Dizziness
Brain stem	Poor co-ordination Drooping eyelid or mouth on one side Difficulty swallowing Difficulty speaking Seeing double
Spinal cord	Pain Numbness in part of the body Weakness in the legs or arms Loss of control of the bladder or bowel
Pituitary gland	Irregular or infrequent periods Infertility in men and women Lack of energy Weight gain Mood swings High blood pressure Diabetes Enlarged hands and feet
Nerves controlling sight	Failing sight
Hearing nerves	Failing hearing
Meninges	Headache Sickness Sight problems Problems with movement