Blog Stuck On You

Most all of us hate the prospect of heading into the doctor’s office, even for a routine examination. But with diseases of all sorts seemingly on the rise, we’ve become much more aware of recognizing symptoms, visiting a specialist for a potential diagnosis, and facing the prospect of treatments than ever before. This alertness is even more imperative when considering signs of any form of cancer.

Since many brain tumor symptoms may seem innocuous, like headaches, patients and doctors fail to recognize them as potentially serious or evidence of a life-threatening growth until it’s too late. As a result, a diagnosis isn’t achieved until the tumor develops to a size or serious level that makes life-saving treatment unachievable.

Many brain tumors, if detected early, are treatable. Striking advances in diagnosis and modern treatments, like chemotherapy, immunotherapy, gene therapy and radioactive knife treatment, are becoming more common and effective.

Therefore, doctors and patients alike are being recommended to become alert to brain tumor symptoms and follow up with a proper medical examination when these signs occur. Though brain scans are expensive, they’re safe, easy to obtain and may save your life if they detect a tumor early enough that it can be cured. For an overview of symptoms associated with brain tumors and why it’s so important to watch out for them, keep reading.

Symptoms of Brain Tumors

Brain tumors need to be detected when they are small and still susceptible to treatment. Symptoms hinge on the size of the tumor and where in the brain it’s located. A benign tumor can develop very slowly over several years before it produces a recognizable symptom.

Among the basic harbingers are relentless or continual headaches, especially those that occur at night or are there immediately when an individual wakes up. Typically in young children, headaches happen simultaneously with vomiting or nausea.

Other frequent symptoms include personality alterations, sight or speech problems, behavioral issues, fatigue, numbness or paralysis or instability when walking that gets increasingly worse, seizures, and sensory disorders, like the loss of a sense or smelling something that’s not there.

Far too frequently, symptoms like behavior or personality problems are attributed to a mental disturbance and aren’t dealt with until the tumor has progressed in severity.

The Importance of Detecting Tumor Signs

Tumors that develop in the brain are the second most common cancer in young children, happening approximately as often as leukemia. In adults, they are also increasing. Approximately one-half of primary brain tumors are considered benign - meaning they grow slowly, do not infest nearby tissues and can generally be treated successfully. The remainder are malignant - that is, they are aggressive and encroaching but can often be treated, although they may remain incurable.

Where to Get Additional Facts

For more information on brain tumors and their associated signs, contact the American Brain Tumor Association. Their phone number is (800) 886-2282, and they can supply information and referrals for patients and their families.

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