Brain cancer is a tumor that arises due to abnormal proliferation of brain cells or as a result of metastasis of tumour cells from other parts of the body to the brain.
Depending on their origin, brain cancers are of two types-primary and secondary. Primary brain cancers originate in the brain itself, while secondary brain cancers metastasize from different body organs to the brain. Secondary brain cancers are more common
Few brain tumors such as acoustic schwannoma are hereditary, meaning your chances of having them increase if your family member or first-degree relative suffers from them. However, the majority of brain cancers are not hereditary in their progression. Radiation exposure increases the risk for brain cancer.
Symptoms of brain cancer greatly depend on its location. There are various areas in the brain that control the different senses or the functions of different body parts.
Some of the symptoms are common to all types of brain cancers. Those are:
The diagnosis of brain cancer can be made clinically. However, certain investigations are carried out to support the clinical diagnosis.
Staging of cancer refers to the spread of the tumor to different body organs from its primary site. It greatly determines the choice of treatment and its prognosis. Most primary brain cancers do not spread outside the brain. So, instead of staging, we define brain cancers on the basis of grading. The grading of brain cancer is a measure of its aggressiveness. The higher the grade, the more aggressive cancer, and the poorer is the outcome of treatment.
If you experience persistent headaches that do not improve on taking medications or occasional headache with vomiting, you must visit a doctor.
Brain cancers are of various types. The exact ways how Brain Cancer is to be treated depends on the variety of cancer. Surgery is the only option to treat brain cancers, but not all brain cancers are safely operable. Gliomas and meningiomas are the most common forms of operable brain tumors.
If brain cancer is located too deep or is high grade, or if the patient is unfit to undergo surgery, we do not opt for surgical resection of the tumor. If we aggressively try to reset such tumors, it will cause more damage than cure. In such cases, only radiotherapy and chemotherapy are given to the patient to increase the chances and duration of survival.
People need to acknowledge the fact that brain cancers are not a death sentence, even if they are aggressive. With the advances in the medical field, lots of brain cancers are now being successfully operated on and cured. If you are in serach for a comprehensive Brain Cancer treatment in Navi Mumbai, you can visit our hospital.
New technologies in the treatment of brain cancer have emerged. The procedures are becoming less invasive, which means that instead of going for a full-blown operation, we rather make small incisions in the brain and operate through them. These include stereotactic radiosurgery and neuronavigation. The advantage of these techniques is that there are minimal complications like brain damage, and the patient tends to recover quickly after the surgery.
Stereotactic surgery is a minimally invasive technique where we can visualize or take a biopsy specimen from a deeply located tumor. During this procedure, a minute hole is made in the brain through which a needle is introduced to take out the tissue for biopsy.
Stereotactic radiosurgery is a technique where a high dose of radiation is given to the cancerous brain cells. The advantage of stereotactic radiation over the traditional radiation procedures is that the radiation is given in a high dose and a laser-sharp focus, which targets only the cancerous brain cells and prevents them from reaching the normal brain cells.
The prognosis of brain cancers greatly depends upon the stage at which they are diagnosed, and the treatment is started. Family support and a positive attitude of the patient with a will to change the course of the disease also play a role in improving the treatment outcome. Our cancer care team aims not only to cure the patient physically but provide mental support also, making Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital the best Cancer Hospital in Navi Mumbai.
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