Memorial Health Group Medstar Antalya Hospital Brain, Nerve and Spinal Cord Surgery Department Op. Dr. Okan Cinemre gave information about brain tumors and treatment options in "Brain Cancer Awareness Month".
Brain tumors; The brain tissue inside the skull develops when the normal structures of the cells that make up structures such as cerebellum, vessels, and cerebral membranes are disrupted and uncontrolled growth. On average, 15000 people are diagnosed with brain tumors every year in our country. Prolonged and severe headaches, nausea-vomiting attacks, epileptic (epileptic) seizures, sudden or slow vision-hearing loss are among the first symptoms of a brain tumor. Considering the symptoms and consulting a specialist in a timely manner is of great importance in terms of the treatment of the disease. Memorial Health Group Medstar Antalya Hospital Brain, Nerve and Spinal Cord Surgery Department Op. Dr. Okan Cinemre gave information about brain tumors and treatment options in "Brain Cancer Awareness Month".
Inherited diseases can cause brain tumors
Vinyl chloride (PVC) and ionizing radiation are thought to have an effect on the formation of brain tumors. Genetic mutation and changes called delation may be the main factors in the development of some brain tumors. The frequency of brain tumor accompanying increases in hereditary diseases such as Von Hippel-Lindau Syndrome, Multiple Endocrine Neoplasms, Neurofibromatosis type II. Recently, there are publications showing that increasing mobile phones have increased the incidence of brain tumors, but there is no definitive evidence on this issue yet. Generally, brain tumors are divided into main and metastatic types. These can be benign or malignant.
Metastatic tumors are more common
Major brain tumors are mostly considered among malignant cancers. However, there are also benign tumors in the brain. Since only the skull is a closed box, its internal volume is constant, even if a tumor growing here is benign, it can cause fatal and disabling consequences as a result of compression on the brain and other vital tissues. As the number of patients, metastatic brain tumors are seen more frequently than original tumors. Brain tumor symptoms can sometimes be a gradually increasing disorder, and sometimes a sudden and diagnostic condition.
The main symptoms of brain tumors are;
- Prolonged and severe headaches
- Nausea-vomiting attacks
- Epileptic (epilepsy) seizures
- Sudden or slow vision-hearing loss
- Balance and gait disturbances
Definitive diagnosis is made with modern imaging methods
Brain tumor diagnosis is made by computed tomography and magnetic resonance (MR) methods. It is also useful in estimating the tumor type with MR imaging. However, sometimes it may not be determined whether the abnormality is actually a tumor or not with the available imaging methods. In this case, a biopsy is applied. The definitive tissue diagnosis is confirmed by pathologists after all or part of the tumor is removed. It; Whether additional treatment will be performed or not, and if so, will determine how it will be done.
The purpose of surgery is to remove the entire tumor.
Three methods can be mentioned in the treatment of brain tumors: surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. One or more of these treatments can be applied according to the tumor type, location, and patient characteristics. The aim of surgical treatment is to remove the entire tumor, if possible, without harming the patient as much as possible. However, this is not always possible. If the location of the tumor and the general condition of the patient do not allow complete removal of the tumor, then some of it is removed. Even a relatively small piece to be removed from inside the skull can have a major role in the diagnosis and treatment of a brain tumor.
Radiotherapy is applied by protecting the healthy brain tissue around the tumor.
Radiotherapy is performed by radiation oncology specialists. It is important to know the tissue type of the tumor before the treatment to be applied. If this is not possible, sometimes direct radiotherapy can be applied. It is important to protect the healthy brain tissue around the tumor during radiotherapy. Chemotherapy is less successful in treating brain tumors than malignant tumors of other organs. It is usually used to supplement the other two treatments. It is thought that with the development of chemotherapy drugs over time, they will have more places in the treatment of brain tumors.
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