Brain Cancer
Learn about brain cancer
Brain Cancer occurs when abnormal cells in the brain grow in an uncontrolled way. Brain cancers include primary brain tumours, which start in the brain, and secondary tumours (or metastases) which are caused by cancers that began in another part of the body.
There are more than 40 major types of brain tumours, which are grouped into two main types:
- Benign, slow growing tumours which are unlikely to spread
- Malignant (cancerous and able to spread into other parts of the brain or spinal cord).
However, because the brain is enclosed in the skull, even benign tumours can be dangerous. The skull cannot expand to make room for a growing tumour, so the tumour may press on or damage delicate brain tissue, becoming life threatening.
Some benign brain tumours can also eventually give rise to malignant cells. For these reasons, instead of ‘malignant’ or ‘benign’, brain tumours are often described as being ‘high-grade’ (rapidly growing) or ‘low-grade’ (slowly growing).
The most common malignant (rapidly growing) tumours include:
- Oligodendrogliomas: Tumours which form on the cells that make up the supportive, or glial, tissue of the brain most commonly found on the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain.
- Astrocytoma: Tumours which occur on the star-shaped cells that form the “glue-like” tissue of the brain. Commonly found on the:
- Cerebellum
- Cerebrum
- Central areas of the brain
- Brainstem
- Spinal cord.
- Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM): Tumours that arise from the supportive tissue of the brain. These tumours grow very quickly as they are supported by a large network of blood vessels.
- Ependymomas: A rare type of glioma. This tumour arises from the ependymal cells that line the ventricles of the brain and the centre of the spinal cord. People of all ages can develop ependymomas, including children.
- Mixed gliomas: A malignant glioma made up of more than one type of glial cell. They are often found in the cerebrum, but may spread to other parts of the brain. They are most common in adult men.
Brain Cancer symptoms include:
- Severe headaches, which may or may not be accompanied by nausea and vomiting
- Seizures
- Weakness on one side of the body
- Dizziness
- Changes in thinking or personality
- Difficulty controlling movement
- Disturbed vision or speech
It is important to note that there are a number of conditions that may cause these symptoms, not just brain cancer. If any of these symptoms are experienced it is important to discuss them with your GP.
Brain Cancer can be treated with surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or steroid therapy, or a combination of these treatments. The type of treatment will depend on several factors including the stage of the disease, the severity of symptoms and the general health of the patient.
Types of brain surgery
- Craniotomy; the tumour is removed completely.
- Shunts; if a fluid build-up in the brain is a problem, the surgeon may put in a small permanent tube just under the skin, called a shunt, to take the extra fluid from the brain into the abdomen.
- Biopsy; a portion of the tumour is removed and looked at under a microscope to see what type of tumour the patient has.
Some tumours can be removed completely by surgery (craniotomy). If a tumour has spread, or if it cannot be removed without damaging other important parts of the brain, the surgeon may still be able to remove part of the tumour, which will improve symptoms and quality of life by reducing the pressure on the rest of the brain.
Radiotherapy (x-rays that kill or injure cancer cells so they cannot multiply) is then used after the operation to help control tumour re-growth and help improve survival.
For glioblastomas, an oral chemotherapy drug may be added during or after radiotherapy treatment to further improve the patient’s outcome.
Other chemotherapy schedules may also be used to enhance treatment of the brain cancer.
In the event that the tumour cannot be removed by surgery, the aim of treatment is to slow the tumour growth and relieve symptoms by shrinking the tumour.
