What should I know about brain tumours ?
Brain tumours are always feared, as the general conception is for the outcome to be always fatal. Most common brain tumours are metastatic (spread of cancer cells) from other body locations while only a small proportion is from the brain itself. As these tumours are masked inside the skull, patients present to the doctors only at a later stage when clinical signs are present.
These signs arise due to compression of brain structures or increased in pressure inside the skull.
These signs below are generally for most abnormalities inside the skull but should also raise a doubt of brain tumour if :
- New onset headache in pregnancy
- New onset headache in adults aged over 40
- New onset headache in children aged below 6
- Persistent headache (Don’t disregard as simple headaches or migraine, please be suspicious if standard treatment does not work)
- Seizures
- Persistent vomiting
- Paralysis / numbness / weakness of the hands or legs
- Behavioural changes (agitation / confusion)
- Worsening performance (school / work)
- Affected vision (blurring / double vision / blindness)
- Speech or hearing abnormalities
- Changes in walking pattern / instability
These above symptoms are not necessarily for brain tumours and do not confirm that you have a brain tumour as there are many other conditions which may mimic it such as infection or birth defects of the brain. The idea of a brain tumour is only to be investigated once other possible causes have been ruled out. So, if you think something is wrong or suspect that someone might have signs of brain tumour, please consult a doctor as they can investigate further and confirm a diagnosis.
Dr. Vinodh Vayara Perumall is a neurosurgical medical officer whose passion for neurosurgery has brought him all the way from Perak to Sabah. Did you know 8th June is World Brain Tumour Day?
References:
- Handbook of Neurosurgery; Greenberg; 7th Edition(2010; 585-90); ThiemeTop of FormBottom of Form
- Dutch GP Association study on Causes of headaches ( Adapted from Wikipedia ): Gezondheid nv (13 April 2005). “Alles over hoofdpijn”. Gezondheid.be. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
[This article belongs to The Malaysian Medical Gazette. Any republication (online or offline) without written permission from The Malaysian Medical Gazette is prohibited.]