Brain Tumors – Malignant brain tumors: There
are various types of malignant brain tumors, gliomas, meningiomas, and
schwannomas are the most common and may occur at any age. In adults,
these tumors occur most often between ages 40 and 60. In children,
these tumors generally highest before age 1 and then again between ages
2 and 12, and are one of the most common causes of death from cancer in
young children.
Cause: Exact cause of malignant brain tumors in unknown.
Symptoms:
Increased intracranial pressure (ICP) – (these features vary with the
type of tumor, the location , and the degree of invasion.
Seizures
Treatment:
Treatment depends on the tumor’s histologic type, location, and radiosensitivity.
Treatment may include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, or decompression
of increased ICP with drug therapy such as; diuretics, corticosteroids,
or possibly ventriculoatrial or ventriculoperitoneal shunting of CSF (cerebral
spinal fluid)
Relieving cerebral edema or ICP
Relieving symptoms, and preventing further neurologic damage.
Therapy includes removing a resectable tumor, reducing the size of a
nonresectable one.