Brain Tumors

A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of cells within the brain or the central spinal canal, which are created by an abnormal and uncontrolled cell division. A tumor in the brain can be cancerous (malignant) or non-cancerous (benign).

A malignant brain tumor contains cancer cells and is defined as brain cancer. A malignantCancerous tumors, created by uncontrolled cell division, which expand quickly and can spread to other areas of the body (Source: Wikipedia) brain tumor is life-threatening as the cancerous cells will crowd out or destroy the normal cells and interfere with their function. You can read more about this in our oncology section.

Nonmalignant, benignA non-lethal slow growing form of tumor, created by uncontrolled cell division. These kinds of tumors are normally self-contained.  tumors can also invade surrounding tissue or alternately, coexist with normal cells. However, they can lead to severe neurologic impairment and cause seizures, behavioral changes and memory loss, as well as interfere with normal, vital brain functions.

There are two types of brain tumors: primary and secondary.
Primary Brain Tumors – These kind of tumors may be malignant or benign and are located in the anterior two-thirds of the cerebral hemispheresA cerebral hemisphere is one of the two regions of the eutherian brain that are delineated by the median plane, (medial longitudinal fissure).  (in children it will be in the posterior cranial fossa).
Secondary Brain Tumors – Metastatic Tumors that spread to the brain from other organs in the body affected by cancer. The cancerous cells circulate through the bloodstream, and are deposited in the brain.

Brain Tumor Surgery Video

Brain Tumor Symptoms

Brain tumors symptoms depend on two main factors: the size of the tumor and its location. In addition to this, brain tumor symptoms will appear in patients according to the nature of the tumor, as benign, slow-growing tumors will show symptoms later and malignant, fast growing tumor will show earlier symptoms.

Common brain tumor symptoms (of both kinds) can include:

• Headaches (tend to be stronger in the morning(
• Nausea and vomiting
• Changes in your speech, hearing or sight
• Changes in your personality, memory, ability to concentrate
• Abnormal fatigue and weariness
• Absences and tremors
• Epileptic seizures

Brian Tumor Surgery

Most patients with a brain tumors undergo a biopsy, which is the surgical removal of a tissue sample from the tumor (alone or as part of the removal of a tumor), for the correct diagnosis which will determine further treatments.

Depending on the tumor type and stage, patients may be treated with surgery, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy as well as a combination of these. Radiation and chemotherapy are mostly used on malignant brain tumors as part of the cancer treatment regime. Surgery is done both on benign and malignant tumors.

The most common surgical procedure done is a craniotomy (opening of the skull) in order to have full access to the brain as the prime objective is to remove as many tumor cells as possible. It should be known that as time progresses, there are more and more minimal invasive procedures being done, preventing the need for open head surgery.

Recovery includes up to a week in the intensive care unit for close monitoring, followed by a hospitalization of 1-2 weeks and further outpatient rehab. Full recovery should take anywhere from 1 to 2 months.

Brian Surgery Abroad

Being diagnosed with the need for brain surgery is a hard diagnosis. TicketMed will be happy to assist you in every step of the way, starting from acquiring all the information you need regarding brain surgery to scheduling the tumor removal in one of the top neurology clinics around the globe, TickedMed is affiliated with. Contact us or ask for a quote.