Brain Cancer

The growth of cancerous cells in the brain leads to the development of brain cancer. Brain cancer can develop extremely slowly or very quickly, depending on the type of cancer. Surgery is used to remove the tumour and any cancer cells that may still be present in order to treat brain cancer. The success of treatment has greatly increased as a result of innovations in the treatment of brain cancer. The chances of success is higher, particularly in brain cancer that is developing slowly.

There are two different types of cancer in the brain. Primary brain cancer is caused by the overgrowth of cells in the brain. Secondary brain cancer occurs when cancer that develops in another part of the body spreads to the brain. Some types of brain cancer develop very quickly. This type of disease also reduces the quality of life at the same rate.

Tumours in the brain disrupt the functioning of the brain. In addition, brain tumours are life-threatening, so they must be treated as soon as they are diagnosed. More than 120 types of tumours can occur in the brain. A significant number of these tumours cause serious disorders. However, not all of them are cancerous. Brain cancer is a very rare type of cancer. The risk of developing brain cancer in a person is less than 1%.

Types of Brain Tumours

Brain tumours, as the name suggests, are tumours that occur in the upper part of the spinal cord or in the brain. These tumours also have a grade. Grades need to be understood how fast the tumour can grow. Graded 1 to 4, the slowest growing tumours are first-degree tumours. The fastest growing ones are the fourth grade.

Glioma is a brain tumour that occurs in glial cells. Glioma is seen in three of every 10 brain cancer cases. Astrocytoma is a type of glioma that also includes glioblastoma. It is one of the fastest growing types of brain tumours. Meningioma is the most common brain tumour. Meningioma can occur in the spinal cord as well as the brain. It grows quite slowly. Another slow growing brain tumour is ganglioma. Like glioma, ganglioma occurs in glial cells. Ganglioma is also seen in brain neurons. Ganglioma can be treated with surgery.

Craniopharyngioma is one of the slow growing brain tumours. It usually occurs between the brain and the pituitary gland and puts pressure on the optic nerves. Therefore, craniopharyngioma causes visual disturbances. Schwannomas are a type of tumour that occurs in the cranial nerves. Schwannomas are also one of the slow growing brain tumours. Medulloblastoma is a fast growing brain tumour. It occurs in the nerve cells of the brain. Medulloblastoma is more common in children.

How Is Brain Cancer Treated?

There are different treatment methods for brain cancer. The treatment of primary brain cancer differs from the treatment of cancer that has spread to the brain by metastasis. The treatment method may vary depending on the location, size and type of the tumour.

The most commonly preferred treatment method is surgery. Depending on where it occurs, all or part of the tumour can be removed. However, for some tumour types, surgery is not a treatment option. Chemotherapy, which is a frequently used method in other types of cancer, can also be preferred in brain cancer. Chemical drugs cause cancer cells in the brain to die or shrink. Chemotherapy drugs can be taken orally or used as a serum. Radiotherapy, which is widely used in other cancer treatments, can also be preferred in the treatment of brain cancer.

These methods can also be used in combination in the treatment of brain cancer. There are also cases where radiotherapy and chemotherapy are preferred at the same time. When it is impossible to remove a part of the tumour in the brain, chemotherapy can be applied after the part is surgically removed. Apart from these methods, there are also immunotherapy or some non-surgical treatments. However, in general, these treatments are aimed at relieving the complaints caused by the symptoms rather than the treatment of the disease.