A brain tumor is a growth of cells within the intracranial cavity. This growth can be very high in cellular reproduction or lower. They may be malignant or benign tumors, and they may be inside the brain itself or they may be inside the skull but outside the brain. These would be intrinsic tumors or, on the other hand, tumors that squeeze the brain, which are called extrinsic tumors. Then there are tumors that arise from within the intracranial cavity itself, which we call primitive, or those that come from outside, such as metastases.
Are there areas of the brain that are more prone to tumor development?
There is no special propensity, although the most frequent tumors are metastases which, as mentioned above, come from “outside” the brain, as opposed to the so-called primitive tumors (those arising from the cranial cavity itself). Metastases have a tendency to be located where the brain is more vascularized, being more frequent in the cerebral hemispheres which, also, in terms of extension, is the largest area.
However, there is no special propensity for the frontal, temporal or occipital lobe. Simply, because of their size, it is more often the frontal lobe, which is the largest.
How can the patient “notice” that he/she is suffering from a brain tumor?
There are symptoms when there is increased pressure inside the head and these symptoms are basically: headache, vomiting and visual acuity problems. This can be caused by all tumors located in the head. Then, because of the fact that they are in one area or another, it can give symptoms that are related to the site of the brain where it is located. For example, if they are in the posterior fossa, in the cerebellum, it will cause dizziness and a feeling of instability. If they are located in the language area, it will possibly cause some problem for the patient to be able to speak well. If they are located in the motor area, he/she will have problems to move, etc.
There is another symptom, which is irritative of the brain, which is epilepsy. When an adult has an epileptic seizure, it is necessary to rule out the possibility of an expansive lesion or a tumor.
How and when should a brain tumor be approached?
The first thing is to understand which of the above-mentioned categories it falls into. If it is primitive or if it is metastatic, then a global context of the whole organism will have to be assessed. Then it has to be assessed whether it is a tumor that grows very fast or grows more slowly. And finally, the area where it is located. Depending on all this, the neurosurgery specialist will design a specific strategy.
There are some lesions that can be treated with chemotherapy without the need for surgery. But, most of the time, what has to be done is to have surgery first in order to have an adequate sample and to know exactly the type of tumor, as well as to remove as much tumor as possible, in order to have fewer cells so that another complementary therapy can be used, which is often necessary, especially in malignant tumors.
Can such a tumor leave cerebral sequelae?
The tumors themselves can sometimes cause bleeding or other sudden problems that can be difficult to recover from later on. Or the surgery itself, depending on the area where it is performed, may have more or less risk, of one function or another. The brain is a very well organized organ and, therefore, there are possibilities that, both in the development of the disease and in the therapeutic treatment, the patient may have problems of many types: cognitive, movement, balance, sensitivity… everything that controls the brain. The neurosurgeon’s goal is to reduce the tumor as much as possible, always taking into account the balance of the individual’s brain and neurological function.