Brain tumour is the disorder that occurs when the process of new cells producing and old cells dying goes wrong. Brain tumour is the name for when cells grow when they are not needed and old cells fails to die and grows into a mass of tissue called a growth or tumour. This abnormality is what doctors call brain tumour.
There are different types of brain tumour called benign and malignant brain tumours. Benign brain tumours are those that don’t contain cancer cells and malignant brain tumours are those that do.
Benign brain tumours can cause severe health problems by pressing on the sensitive parts of the brain. Unlike the benign tumour in other parts of the human body, benign brain tumours are more serious as they can prove to be life threatening.
As they contain cancer cells, malignant brain tumours are classified as more serious and life threatening that benign brain tumours. The cells that make up malignant brain tumours are reported to grow more rapidly than benign brain tumour cells and these cells are more likely to take over the neighbouring healthy brain tissue. Sometimes, in very rare situations, the cells spread to different parts of the brain and sometimes to different parts of the body also.
Primary tumours are tumours that start in the brain tissue. The more common types of primary tumours are called gliomas and as their name suggests, they are started in the glial cells. There is a whole load of different types of gliomas:
- Oligodendroglioma
- Schwannoma
- Medulloblastoma
- Craniopharyngioma
- Brain stem gliomas
- Germ cell tumour
- Pineal region tumour
- Meningioma
- Ependymoma
- Astrocytoma
The cause of brain tumours is still unknown to us. However, doctors are now able to determine who is at risk of developing brain tumour. It has now been proved that simple things like age and race can be a part of increasing the chances of brain tumour.
There are many symptoms involved with brain tumour. These may vary depending on several things such as the type of tumour and also where it is located. Some of the most common symptoms include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Headaches
- Convulsions or seizures
- Problems with balance
- Inability to concentrate
- Vision problems
- Problems with speech and hearing
These symptoms don’t always end up being signs of brain tumour as there are many conditions in which you may experience any of these symptoms. However, it is important to seek the help of a doctor immediately just to be on the safe side.