There are many people throughout the world that suffer from brain cancer. In 2010 22,000 people in the U.S developed primary brain tumors or nervous system cancers. As with tumors elsewhere in the body, the exact cause is unknown. Professionals believe the cause for this primarily, is due to abnormal growths of cells in the brain. This type of cancer usually arises when primary brain cells are compromised from the growth of cancer cells that have developed in other organs and have spread to the brain via the bloodstream. These growths are commonly called brain tumors, but studies have shown that not all brain tumors are cancerous.
Tumors are only considered cancerous when they have become malignant. A tumor is classified as malignant when it grows and spreads aggressively throughout the body. While, a tumor that is benign does not grow and spread as rapidly throughout the brain. Even though benign tumors are not as serious, they can still cause many problems for the brain. Malignant tumors simply overwhelm healthy cells by taking their place, blood and their nutrients. This is critical to the brain because of the added growth of the tumors and the structure and confines of the skull. This is believed to increase the amount of pressure on the surrounding vital structure, ultimately causing severe malfunction.
The most common type of tumor found in the brain are called metastatic tumors. Metastatic brain tumors consist of cancerous cells that have spread through the blood stream from a tumor that resides elsewhere in the body. Cancers that begin in the lung, breast, kidney, and skin are the most common causes for brain cancer. A process called metastasis enables these cancer cells to spread to the brain. The blood flow of the brain usually determines where metastatic cancer cells will settle. Sadly, the majority of these type of brain tumors attack more than one location of the brain. There are many proposed risk factors for primary brain tumors including radiation, genetics, HIV infection, and cigarette smoking.
In many people the onset of symptoms begin gradually and are often overlooked. In some cases the symptoms appear more rapidly and pronounced causing a person to feel as if they're having a stroke. Aneurysms are also often mistaken for brain tumors. Aneurysms arise when abnormally weak brain arteries expand and begin to compromise the vessel wall. However, they will not produce any noticeable problems unless blood starts to leak out to the surrounding brain tissue. Unfortunately, aneurysms produce symptoms that closely resemble that of tumors, but are not caused or formed by cancer cells.
The National Cancer Institute(N.C.I) uses a distinct process to classify and grade tumors.
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Grade one tumors are classified as being benign. This is because the cells look almost like normal brain cells and are slow in growth.
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Grade two tumors are classified as malignant. This grade is given when cells look considerably less like normal cells do in a grade one tumor.
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Grade three tumors classified when the malignant tissue cells are growing more aggressively and are termed an aplastic.
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Grade four tumors are classified when malignant tissue cells look abnormal and grow very fast.
Conclusion
Although the direct cause is not evident, one should take all the necessary precautions to prevent this vicious disease. Seek the care of a professional if you begin to experience any of the symptoms associated with brain cancer. Unexplained vomiting, double vision, increased sleepiness, seizures, as well as varied early morning headaches are all symptoms and should be monitored accordingly. Potential patients should discuss treatment options should these symptoms persist. Surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy are the most common procedures used to fight cancer of the brain.
