Brain tumors can occur at any age, may be benign or malignant, and can cause very different symptoms depending on their type, location and size. Diagnosis and treatment are planned individually.
Brain tumors are found in approximately 30–40 of every 100,000 people. Although they are less common than lung, breast and prostate tumors, they can have serious consequences if left untreated.
Brain tumors can occur at any age and can be broadly divided into benign and malignant tumors. Depending on their type, location and size, they can cause very different complaints and symptoms.
Symptoms
The main symptoms include:
- Headache
- Dizziness and imbalance
- Drowsiness
- Changes in behaviour and personality
- Seizures and epilepsy-like episodes
- Visual disturbance, squint or double vision
- Weakness or numbness on the right or left side of the body
- Facial paralysis
- Hoarseness and difficulty swallowing
- Hearing loss and ringing in the ears
- Enlargement of the hands and feet, coarsening of facial features
- Milky discharge from the breasts
- Hormonal imbalances such as menstrual irregularity
Diagnosis
After the patient's complaints and findings have been evaluated, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are performed when needed. These radiological examinations allow a brain tumor to be diagnosed with a high degree of certainty. As with all diseases, early diagnosis is very valuable in brain tumors.
To be certain of the tumor type, a tissue sample must be obtained. This is done either by a simple biopsy or by removing all or most of the tumor. For small to medium-sized tumors located in risky areas of the brain, a closed biopsy using special techniques (stereotactic or neuronavigation-guided biopsy) may be preferred first.
Treatment Approach
After radiological diagnosis there are five main treatment options for brain tumors. They can be used alone or in sequence.
- Observation: May be preferred for very small or uncertain lesions that are thought to grow slowly or not at all and cause no significant findings, and when the patient's general condition is not suitable for treatment.
- Surgery: The most important tool in diagnosis and treatment, used for the majority of brain tumors. It is chosen to obtain tissue, to relieve tumor-related symptoms and, for some tumor types, as definitive treatment. It also supports treatment in tumor types that require radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. A biopsy alone is also a surgical procedure. The outcome and risk of surgery depend on factors such as the patient's age and general condition, the tumor's location in the brain, its relationship with surrounding tissue and whether it is benign or malignant.
- Radiotherapy: Radiation treatment used in some brain tumors to prevent tumor growth and recurrence. It usually consists of short daily sessions over 10–30 days and is most often given after surgery.
- Radiosurgery: A radiation technique delivered over 1–5 days that focuses radiation on the tumor and minimises the dose to surrounding tissue. For some small and medium-sized tumors, particularly those in risky locations, it can remove the need for surgery. It is delivered with systems such as Gamma Knife and CyberKnife and is also effective for some tumors that cannot be completely removed at surgery. Because of its low risk profile it is increasingly preferred worldwide.
- Chemotherapy: Drug treatment given together with radiotherapy, mainly for malignant brain tumors that tend to recur. Chemotherapy for brain tumors generally causes fewer side effects and is better tolerated than chemotherapy for tumors of other organs.
Thanks to advances in technology, brain tumors can now be diagnosed and treated with lower risk than in the past.
Please remember that not all brain tumors are the same, not all require treatment and not all are high-risk — try not to draw negative conclusions until you have received detailed information from your doctor.