Disease: Brain Tumor

The Basics on Brain Tumors

There are many kinds of brain tumors, benign and malignant, that can affect both children and adults.

The central nervous system, which consists of the brain and spinal cord, is involved in virtually every function of the body. If a tumor develops in the brain or spinal cord, many vital abilities, including speech, memory, and movement, may be affected.

The spinal cord, which runs from the lowest part of the brain, called the brain stem, down the middle of the back, is like a complex messenger service. It carries important messages back and forth between the brain and the rest of the body. For example, if you put your hand on a hot stove, your skin sends a message to the brain via the spinal cord. The message says: "Pain!" The brain then sends a message through the spinal cord to the muscles that control your hand: "Move!"

Consequently, any illness that interferes with the crucial work of the brain and spinal cord may have widespread effects.

Brain Tumor: Is it Benign or Malignant?

A "benign" spinal cord or brain tumor does not contain any cancer cells. Nevertheless, this type of tumor can be dangerous because as it enlarges it can press on the delicate tissues of the brain or spinal cord and affect their normal functioning. A benign tumor can usually be taken out with surgery and in most cases does not grow back.

When a spinal cord or brain tumor is "malignant," it contains cancer cells. The cancerous cells may grow slowly or rapidly. They invade healthy brain tissue around the tumor. Malignant tumors are often life-threatening. Sometimes, but not often, this kind of tumor spreads to other parts of the body, in a process called metastasis.

A brain tumor might be malignant but might not invade any nearby tissue. For example, it could be surrounded by the bones of the skull and therefore could not escape. These tumors are said to be "encapsulated."

Brain Cancer: Primary and Metastatic Brain Tumors

A tumor that starts in the spinal cord or brain is called a primary tumor. There are more than 100 kinds of primary brain tumors. Some can be cured with very little treatment; others cannot be cured even when treated very aggressively.

A tumor that initially grows in another place in the body and then spreads to the nervous system is called a metastatic, or secondary, tumor.

It is more likely that a cancer that starts in another part of the body will spread to the brain than the other way around. The most common cancers that spread to the brain are lung, breast, melanoma, and colon.

Brain Cancer in Children

After leukemia, spinal cord and brain tumors are the second most common type of cancer in children. "Certain genetic conditions cause children to be more susceptible to brain tumors," says Andrew Sloan, MD, director of the Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland. "These include Li-Fraumeni syndrome, neurofibromatosis, and von Hippel-Lindau disease."

There are considerable differences between a child's brain cancer and an adult's. They're found in different places, have different symptoms, look different under the microscope, and have different tendencies to spread to other parts of the body.

Most adult tumors develop in what's called the cerebral cortex, the upper area of the brain that has a role in memory, thought, and more, whereas children often develop tumors in the brain stem and cerebellum, which is located near the brain stem and affects movement and coordination.

Doctors do not know why children get primary brain tumors. There are four types common to children. These are:

  • Medulloblastomas. This is the most common type of brain cancer found in children, slightly more often in boys than girls. It is located in the cerebellum. Treatment includes surgery, usually followed by chemotherapy, and sometimes radiation.
  • Ependymomas. The tumors are found in small fluid filled cavities called ventricles. Chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation are all used to treat ependymomas.
  • Brain stem gliomas. Adults rarely get these; they are most often seen in children ages 3 to 10. Radiation is commonly used to treat these types of brain tumors.
  • Astrocytomas. These are often non-cancerous, and grow slowly. They are normally removed through surgery.

Source: http://www.everydayhealth.com

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