Brain Cancer their types, Symptoms and treatments. (⇐ Click to watch online).
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Brain cancer is a malignant growth of abnormal brain cells in the brain. Brain cancer can arise from many different types of brain cells (primary brain cancer) or occur when cancer cells from other parts of the body spread (metastasize) to the brain. True brain cancers are those that arise in the brain itself.
In simple words:
Brain cancer is a disease of the brain in which cancer cells (malignant cells) arise in the brain tissue (cancer of the brain). Cancer cells grow to form a mass of cancer tissue (tumor) that interferes with brain functions such as muscle control, sensation, memory, and other normal body functions.
- Tumors composed of cancer cells are called malignant tumors, and those composed of mainly noncancerous cells are called benign tumors.
- Cancer cells that develop from brain tissue are called primary brain tumors while tumors that spread from other body sites to the brain are termed metastatic or secondary brain tumors.
There are more than 40 major types of brain tumors, which are grouped into two main types:
- benign – slow-growing and unlikely to spread. Common types are meningiomas, neuromas, pituitary tumors and craniopharyngiomas.
- malignant – cancerous and able to spread into other parts of the brain or spinal cord. Common types include astrocytoma, oligodendrogliomas, glioblastomas and mixed gliomas.
Brain cancer symptoms
All headaches are considered primary headaches or secondary headaches. Primary headaches are not associated with other diseases. Examples of primary headaches are migraine headaches, tension headaches, and cluster headaches. Secondary headaches are caused by other diseases. The associated disease may be minor or major.
Secondary headaches may result from innumerable conditions, ranging from life-threatening ones such as brain tumors, strokes, meningitis, vasculitis, and subarachnoid hemorrhages to less serious but common conditions such as withdrawal from caffeine, sinus infection (sinusitis), and discontinuation of analgesics (painkilling medication). Pregnancy sometimes causes headaches. Many people suffer from “mixed” headache disorders in which tension headaches or secondary headaches may trigger migraine.
Other symptoms include:
- seizures: severe (e.g., a convulsion) or mild (a fleeting disturbance of awareness, sensation or jerking muscles)
- weakness or paralysis in part of the body
- loss of balance
- general irritability, drowsiness or a change in personality
- nausea and vomiting
- disturbed vision, hearing, smell or tastes
Causes of brain cancer
Some factors that can increase your risk of brain cancer include:
- some brain and spinal cord tumors are more common in people with certain inherited or genetic conditions
- people exposed to very high doses of radiation to the head.
Types of brain cancers
Meningiomas are the primary brain tumors that are the most common. More than 35% of primary brain tumors are meningiomas.
The most common primary brain tumors are usually named for the brain tissue type (including brain stem cancers) from which they originally developed.
- Five brain tumors are gliomas, meningiomas, pituitary adenomas, vestibular schwannomas, and primitive neuroectodermal tumors (medulloblastomas).
- Gliomas have several subtypes, which include astrocytoma (for example, an astrocytoma is a brain cancer composed of abnormal brain cells known as astrocytes), oligodendrogliomas, ependymomas, and choroid plexus papilloma. Glioblastomas arise from astrocytes and are usually highly aggressive (malignant) tumors; doctors diagnosed Senator John McCain with this form of brain tumor.
- These names all reflect different types of cells in the normal brain that can become cancers. When the grades are coupled with the tumor name, it gives doctors a better understanding of the severity of brain cancer. For example, a grade III (anaplastic) glioma is an aggressive tumor, while an acoustic neuroma is a grade I benign tumor.
- However, even benign tumors can cause serious problems if they grow big enough to cause increased intracranial pressure or obstruct vascular structures or cerebrospinal fluid flow.
Four grades of brain cancers
Not all brain tumors are alike, even if they arise from the same type of brain tissue. Tumors are assigned a grade depending on how the cells in the tumor appear microscopically. The grade also provides insight into the cell’s growth rate. NCI lists the following grades from benign to most aggressive (grade IV):
- Grade I: The tissue is benign. The cells look nearly like normal brain cells, and they grow slowly.
- Grade II: The tissue is malignant. The cells look less like normal cells than do the cells in a grade I tumor.
- Grade III: The malignant tissue has cells that look very different from normal cells. The abnormal cells are actively growing and have a distinctly abnormal appearance (anaplastic).
- Grade IV: The malignant tissue has cells that look most abnormal and tend to grow quickly.
Metastatic brain cancer
Cancer cells that develop in a body organ such as the lung (primary cancer tissue type) can spread via
direct extension, or through the lymphatic system and/or through the bloodstream to other body organs such as the brain. Tumors formed by such cancer cells that spread (metastasize) to other organs are called metastatic tumors.
Metastatic brain cancer is a mass of cells (tumor) that originated in another body organ and has spread into the brain tissue. Metastatic tumors in the brain are more common than primary brain tumors. They are usually named after the tissue or organ where cancer first developed (for example, metastatic lung or breast cancer tumors in the brain, which are the most common types found). Occasionally, an abbreviated name may be used that often confuses people; for example, “small cell brain cancer” actually means “small cell lung cancer that has metastasized to the brain.” People should not hesitate to ask their doctor about any terms they do not understand or about the origin of their cancer.
Diagnosis of brain cancer
If a brain tumor is suspected, the doctor may check how different parts of the brain are functioning by checking patient’s reflexes, muscle strength, balance and coordination, ability to feel pinpricks and to distinguish between hot and cold. An ophthalmoscope is used to view the optic nerve, which may bulge if the pressure in the skull is raised, for example by a tumor.
The main tests for brain cancer diagnosis are:
CT scan
A CT (computerized tomography) scan uses x-rays to take multiple pictures of the inside of the body.
MRI
An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan uses a computer and a powerful magnet to make cross-sectional pictures of the body.
MRS (magnetic resonance spectroscopy)
A MRS (magnetic resonance spectroscopy) scan looks for changes in the chemical make-up of the brain and can be done at the same time as an MRI.
PET scan
A PET (positron emission tomography) scan injects a small amount of radioactive solution to show up cancer cells as they absorb the solution faster than normal cells.
SPECT (single proton emission computerized tomography)
A single photon emission CT (SPECT) scan takes three-dimensional images of blood flow in the brain and areas with higher blood flow, such as a tumor, will be brighter on the scan.
Lumbar puncture
A lumbar puncture (also known as spinal tap) uses a needle to collect cerebrospinal fluid which will be sent to a laboratory to test for cancer cells.
Allopathic Treatment for brain cancer
Brain tumors may be treated with surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy or steroid therapy, or a combination of these treatments.
Some tumors can be removed completely by surgery (craniotomy). Post-operative radiotherapy improves local control and survival. For glioblastomas, temozolomide may be added during or after radiotherapy to further improve outcomes.
If a tumor cannot be removed, the aim of treatment is to slow growth and relieve symptoms by shrinking the tumor and any swelling around it. Treatment options include radiation therapy with or without temozolomide.
Staging
Based on the results of MRI, CT scans and other tests, the doctor will tell the stage of the cancer. Staging describes the size of the cancer and if and how far it has spread beyond the brain.
Brain tumors are usually graded on a scale of 1 to 4, based on how quickly they are growing and their ability to invade nearby tissue: grades 1 and 2 are the slowest growing and are called low-grade tumors; grade 4 is the fastest growing.
Palliative care
In some cases of brain cancer, palliative care aims to improve the quality of life by alleviating symptoms of cancer.
As well as slowing the spread of brain cancer, palliative treatment can relieve pain and help manage other symptoms. Treatment may include radiotherapy, chemotherapy or other drug therapies.
Treatment Team
Depending on the treatment, the treatment team may consist of a number of different health professionals, such as:
- GP (General Practitioner)- looks after patient’s general health and works with her/his specialists to coordinate treatment.
- neurologist- diagnoses and treats diseases of the brain and nervous system.
https://youtu.be/tiu3fCYnuKs
- neurosurgeon- uses surgery to treat brain diseases and injuries.
- Cancer nurses- assist with treatment and provide information and support throughout the treatment.
- Medical oncologist- prescribes and coordinates the course of chemotherapy.
- Radiation oncologist- prescribes and coordinates radiation therapy treatment.
- Other allied health professionals- such as social workers, pharmacists and counsellors.
Prognosis for brain cancer after allopathic treatment
Prognosis means the expected outcome of a disease. An individual’s prognosis depends on the type and stage of cancer, as well as their age and general health at the time of diagnosis.
For benign tumors that can be completely removed, cure is likely. For malignant tumors, outcomes depend on how slowly or quickly the tumor develops and responds to treatment.
Do cell phones cause brain cancer?
There is an ongoing concern that cell phones cause brain cancer. This situation has been exacerbated by
a recent ruling to put cell phones on a list of items that “may” cause cancer by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). This was done because the IARC suggested that an increase in gliomas may occur with the high use of cell phones. The IARC classified cell phones as group 2b carcinogens; these substances are considered possibly carcinogenic.
Side effects of allopathic brain cancer treatment
Side effects of brain cancer treatment vary with the treatment plan (for example, surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation) and the overall health status of the patient. Most treatment plans try to keep all side effects to a minimum. For some patients, the side effects of brain cancer treatment can be severe.
Treatment plans should include a discussion of potential side effects and the likelihood of them developing, so the patient and their caregivers (family and friends) can make appropriate treatment decisions in conjunction with their medical team. Also, if side effects develop, the patient has some knowledge of what to do about them such as when to take certain medicines (for example, anti-nausea medication is frequently given) or when to call their doctor to report health changes.
Surgical side effects include:
- an increase in current symptoms,
- damage to normal brain tissue,
- brain swelling, and
- seizures.
Other symptoms of changes in brain function such as muscle weakness, mental changes, and decreases in any brain-controlled function can occur. Combinations of these side effects may happen. The side effects are most noticeable shortly after surgery but frequently decline over time. Occasionally, the side effects do not go away.
Chemotherapy usually affects (damages or kills) rapidly growing cancer cells but also can affect normal tissue. Chemotherapy is usually given intravenously so the drugs can reach most body organs.
Common side effects of chemotherapy are:
- nausea,
- vomiting,
- hair loss, and
- loss of energy.
The immune system is often depressed by chemotherapy, which results in a high susceptibility to infections. Other systems, such as the kidneys and the reproductive organs, may also be damaged by chemotherapy and are complications of therapy. Most of the side effects decline over time, but some may not.
Radiation therapy has most of the same side effects as chemotherapy. Most radiation therapy is focused on the brain cancer tissue, so some systems do not receive direct radiation (immune system, kidneys, and others). The effects on systems not receiving direct radiation are usually not as severe as those seen with chemotherapy. However, hair and skin are usually affected, resulting in hair loss (sometimes permanently) and reddish and darkened skin that needs protection from the sun.
Homeopathic treatment of Brain Cancers and Tumers
Plumbum Metallicum
Mental depression. Fear of being assassinated. Quiet melancholy. Slow perception; loss of memory; amnesic aphasia. Hallucinations and delusions. Intellectual apathy. Memory impaired. Paretic dementia. Weakness or loss of memory. Slow of perception; increasing apathy. Unable to find proper word while talking. Coma. Imbecility. Dementia. Mania. Delirium; alternating with colic. Fury. Frantic delirium (bites, strikes).
Head: Delirium alternating with colic. Pain as if a ball rose from throat to brain. Heaviness of head. Hair very dry. Tinnitus. Dizziness to the extent of failing senseless. Tearing in forehead and temples. Lancinating headache. Congestion of blood to head, with pulsation and heat. Violent pains in integuments of skull from occiput to forehead. Occasional sudden diminution of hearing. Loss of smell.
Bloated Ness of face. Semi lateral swelling of face. Paralysis of lower two branches of facial nerve. Hippocratic face. Boring in lower jaw. Exfoliation (painless) of lips. Cramps in jaw. Lockjaw.
Eyes: Pupils contracted. Yellow. Optic nerve inflamed. Intraocular, suppurative inflammation. Paralysis of upper eyelids. Glaucoma, especially if secondary to spinal lesion. Optic neuritis, central scotoma. Sudden loss of sight after fainting. Hypopyon. Myopia. Diplopia. Blindness, as from amaurosis. Optic neuritis.
Convulsive movements of arms and hands. Weakness and painful paralysis of arms and hands. Painful sensation of paralysis in lower extremities. Numbness of legs and feet
China officinalis
As if skull would burst. Severe headache. Dizzy when walking. Black specks, bright dazzling illusions; night blindness in anemic retina. Spots before eyes. Photophobia. Distortion of eyeballs. Intermittent ciliary neuralgia. Pressure in eyes. Ringing in ears (Tinnitus).
Carboneum Sulphuratum
Hallucinations. Headache and dizziness. Noises in head. Senselessness of lips/tongue etc. Optic neuritis. Vision greatly impaired. Color-blindness. Hearing impaired. Tinnitus atrium. Meniere’s disease. Numbness of arms and hands.
Barita Carbonica
Loss of memory, mental weakness. Irresolute. Vertigo; stitches, when standing in the sun, extending through head. Brain feels as if loose. Hair falls out. Confusion. Wens.
Alternate dilatation and contraction of pupils. Photophobia. Gauze before eyes. Cataracts. Pressure in brain under vertex, towards occiput. with stiffness of neck. Digging in the head, with a sensation of looseness of the brain. Numbness in skin of forehead to root of nose. Aching and burning pain in the eyes. Specks flying about, and black spots before the eyes. Sparks before the eyes in the dark. Dazzling of the eyes by the light.
Ears: Hardness of hearing. Crackling noise. Nocturnal pulsation in the ears. Glands around ears painful and swollen. Reverberation on blowing nose. Tinkling and roaring in the ears. Cracking in the ears on swallowing, on sneezing, and on walking quickly. Tearing in bone in front of ear.
Trembling of the hand when writing. Tension in the legs, as if the tendons were too short. Inquietude and trembling in the legs and feet, with paralytic weakness, or tension, as if from contraction of the tendons, in different parts. Paralysis and palsy of aged persons. Shakings and starlings of some of the limbs, and of the whole body.
Thuja Occidentalis
Headache as if pierced by a nail. Ciliary neuralgia. Tarsal tumors. Limbs feel as if made of wood or glass. Muscular twitching, weakness and trembling.
Hydrastis
Cancer. Chancroids. Headache. Severe frontal headache. Taste, disordered. Throat, deafness. Throat, sore. Tongue affections.
Calcaria Carbonicum
Headache, with cold hands and feet. Icy coldness in and on the head. Epilepsy. Hydrocephalus. Hypochondriasis. Paralysis. Attacks of semi-lateral headache, with risings and nausea. Sudden attacks of paralytic weakness in the arms. Tingling in the fingers, as when they are asleep. Frequent paralytic weakness in the fingers. Heavy movement of the fingers. Contraction of the fingers. Panaras. Cramps and contractions of the limbs.
Argentum Nitricum
Addison’s disease. Anemia. Chancre. Dyspepsia. Epilepsy. Locomotor ataxy. Neuralgia. Ophthalmia neonatorum. Paralysis. Prostate enlargement. Dullness, mental confusion, dizziness, tendency to fall sideways. Momentarily blind with mental confusion; buzzing in ears, nausea, trembling. Digging up, incisive motion, through the l. hemisphere of the brain. Pressing boring pains, in small spots; in bones. Hemicrania; epileptiform; periodic; boring pain. Paralytic heaviness and debility.
Cicuta Virosa
Cancer. Catalepsy. Cerebro-spinal meningitis. Coccygodynia. Concussions. Convulsions. Eczema. Epilepsy. Paralysis. Dementia. Giddiness and absence of mind. Giddiness with falling. Pupils either much contracted or dilated. Suspension of the sight. The objects appear double and black. Stratings and convulsive movements (involuntary) in the arms and in the fingers. Deadness of the fingers. Attacks of catalepsy, with relaxation of all the muscles, and absence of respiration. Tetanus.
Belladonna
Belladonna acts upon every part of the nervous system. Vertigo with falling. Palpitation reverberating in head with labored breathing. Convulsive motion of muscles of face. Photophobia; shooting in eyes. Exophthalmos. Ocular illusions; fiery appearance. Diplopia, vanishing of sight and great debility.
Conium Maculatum
Headache, stupefying, with nausea and vomiting. Photophobia. Paralysis of ocular muscles. Crawling/tingling in the arms and in the hands. Extremities are heavy, weary, paralyzed; trembling; bands unsteady; fingers and toes numb. Muscular weakness, especially of lower extremities. Perspiration of hands. Putting feet on chair relieves pain.
Kalium Iodatum
Violent headache. Brain feels enlarged. Hard nodes, with severe pain. Facial neuralgia. Lancinating pain in upper jaw.
Arsenicum Bromatum
Glandular tumors and indurations, carcinoma, locomotor ataxia.
Hydrastis Canadensis
Cancer. Chancroids. Dull, heavy frontal headache over eyes. Profuse secretion of tears; smarting and burning of eyes and lids. Roaring in the ears like machinery. Otorrhea, thick mucus discharge (fetid). Partial stoppage of Eustachian tube. Throat deafness. Muscles greatly weakened. Scrofulous and cancerous cachexia. Cancers hard, adherent, skin mottled, puckered, cutting like knives in mammae.
Iodum
Appetite, disordered. Atrophy. Brain, atrophy of. Breasts, affections of. Cancer. Chilblains. Chyluria. Constipation. Consumption. Coryza. Cough. Croup. Debility. Diabetes. Diarrhea. Diphtheria. Emaciation. Enteric fever. Galactorrhea. Goiter Hemorrhoids. Headaches. dizziness. Vertigo; throbbing in the head and all over the body. Vertigo with red face, palpitation, hysteria, nervousness. Headache, in hot air. Pain, as from a bruise, in the brain, with want of strength in the body, as from paralysis. Acute pressive pains in the forehead. Headache, as if a tape or band were tightly drawn around the head.
Watery white swelling of the eyelids. Dirty yellowish color of the sclerotic. Protrusion of the balls. Lachrymation. Convulsive movements and quivering of the eyes; of the (lower) eyelids. Weak sight. Dimness of vision. Diplopia. Sparks and scintillations before the eyes.
Buzzing in the ears. Hardness of hearing. Sensibility to noise.
Cadmium Sulphuratum
Corneal opacity. Eyes, affections of. Facial paralysis. Indigestion. Meningitis. Nasal polypus. Constriction; stitches; pulsation. Hammering in the head, preceding vomiting. Headache with restlessness, icy coldness of body, epistaxis, constriction in throat, thirst, nausea, vomiting; mostly present when awaking, in open air, from draught of air, in sun.
Night-blindness. Scrofulous inflammation. Opacity of cornea. Hot tears. Swellings of lids. Hollow eyes; blue circles.
Sounds echo in head. Nose ulcerative or cancerous smell (ozaena). Spasmodic movements of upper lip. Facial paralysis from cold air-crawling sensation-chronic eruption on forehead, nose, and round mouth. Swelling of lips.
For consultation, about your cancer, there types, and Treatment, Diet etc. visit our clinic.
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Dr Sayyad Qaisar Ahmed (MD {Ukraine}, DHMS, Isl. Jurisprudence); Works at “senior research officer Dnepropetrovsk state medical academy Ukraine”; is a leading Homeopathic physician practicing in
Al-Haytham clinic Risalpur. K.P.K, Pakistan.
(0923631023, 03119884588), K.P.K, Pakistan.