Brain Tumor – Threat to Society

In the fast moving world, Brain tumor is one of the major causes for the increase in Mortality among children and adults. Brain tumor is one an abnormal mass of tissue in which cells grow and multiply, seemingly unchecked by the mechanisms that control normal cells. The complex brain tumors can be separated into two general categories depending on the tumors origin, their growth pattern and malignancy. Primary brain tumors are tumors that arise from cells in the brain or from the covering of the brain. A secondary or metastatic brain tumor occurs when cancer cells spread to the brain from a primary cancer in another part of the body. Most Research in developed countries show that the number of people who develop brain tumors and die from them has increased perhaps as much as 300 over past three decades. The National Brain Tumor Foundation (NBTF) for research in United States estimates that 29,000 people in the U.S are diagnosed with primary brain tumors each year, and nearly 13,000 people die. In children, brain tumors are the cause of one quarter of all cancer deaths. The overall annual incidence of primary brain tumors in the U.S is 11 to 12 per 100,000 people for primary malignant brain tumors, that rate is 6 to 7 per 1,00,000. In the UK, over 4,200 people are diagnosed with a brain tumor every year (2007 estimates).  There are about 200 other types of tumors diagnosed in UK each year.  About 16 out of every 1,000 cancers diagnosed in the UK are in the brain (or 1.6%). In India, totally 80,271 people are affected by various types of tumor (2007 estimates). NBTF reported highest rate of primary malignant brain tumor occurred in Northern Europe, United States and Israel. Lowest rate arised in India and Philippines. Brain tumor cannot be prevented yet, because causes are being detected only recently. Brain tumor symptoms vary from patient to patient. The common brain tumor symptoms are:

1. Headaches - This is common symptom, with 46% of the patients reporting having headaches. They described the headaches in many different ways, with no one pattern being a sure sign of brain tumor. Many - perhaps most - people get headaches at some point in their life, so this is not a definite sign of brain tumors.




2. Seizures- A seizure is a sudden, involuntary change in behavior, muscle control, consciousness, and/or sensation. Symptoms of a seizure can range from sudden, violent shaking and total loss of consciousness to muscle twitching or slight shaking of a limb. Staring into space, altered vision, and difficulty in speaking are some of the other behaviors that a person may exhibit while having a seizure. Approximately 10% of the U.S. population will experience a single seizure in their lifetime.




3. Nausea / Vomitting-As with headaches, these are non-specific - which means that most people who have nausea and vomiting do NOT have a brain tumor. Twenty-two percent of the people in our survey reported that they had nausea and /or vomiting as a symptom




4. 
   Problems with vision- Twenty-five percent reported vision problems. This one is easy - if you notice any problem with your hearing or vision, it must be checked out. I commonly hear that the eye doctor is the first one to make the diagnosis - because when they look in your eyes, they can sometimes see signs of increased intracranial pressure. This must be investigated.
   




5. Problems with sensation in your hands- Problems with weakness of the arms, legs or face muscles, and strange sensations in your head or hands. Twenty-five percent reported weakness of the arms and/or legs. Sixteen percent reported strange feelings in the head, and 9% reported strange feelings in the hands




6. Behavioral and cognitive problems: Many reported behavioral and cognitive changes, such as: problems with recent memory, inability to concentrate or finding the right words, acting out - no patience or tolerance, and loss of inhibitions - saying or doing things that are not appropriate for the situation.

Basic Symptoms

Affected Rate

Headaches

76.80%

Strange feeling in head

43.55%

Seizures

32.97%

Problems finding the right words

34.46%

Weakness of the arm(s) or leg(s)

41.93%

Nausea / Vomitting

36.50%

Problems with vision

46.00%

Problems with sensation in your hands

22.80%

Strange smell felt

18.72%

Overview:

Primary symptoms of brain tumor are headache, vomiting and nausea, weakness in hearing and eyesight, lack of strength in arms and legs, strange sensations in heads and hands. Surgery is the treatment of choice for accessible brain tumors. Accessible tumors are those which can be surgically removed without causing severe neurological damage. Tumors located in gray matter or deep within the brain may be inaccessible.Brain tumor surgeryin India at Indian metros of Delhi and Mumbai has acquired a good scope for providing health recovery to abroad natives coming to India for removal and cure of brain tumors..