Brain CancerPresented by: Claire Gui

What is brain cancer? Brain cancer is a disease of the brain in which

cancer cells arise in the brain tissue.

Cancer cells grow to form a mass of cancer tissue (tumor) that interferes with brain functions such as muscle control, sensation, memory, and other normal body functions.

Types of brain cancer Cancer cells that develop from

brain tissue are called primary brain tumors.

Tumors that spread from other body sites to the brain are termed metastatic or secondary brain tumors.

About brain cancer Statistics suggest that brain cancer occurs

infrequently and is likely to develop in about 22,850 new people per year with about 15,320 deaths as estimated by the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society.

Symptoms and Signs The most common symptoms of brain

cancer are

1.difficulty walking and or dizziness,

2.seizures

3.weakness

4.headaches

Other symptoms are nausea, blurry vision, or a change in a person's alertness, mental capacity, memory, speech, or personality.

What tests are used to diagnose brain cancer?

The initial test includes a medical history and physical examination of the person by a health-care provider.

The most frequently used test is a CT scan (computerized tomography). This test resembles a series of X-rays and is not painful, although sometimes a dye needs to be injected into a vein for better images of some internal brain structures.

Another test that is gaining popularity because of its high sensitivity for detecting anatomic changes in the brain is MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).

Are there any home remedies for brain cancer?

There are many home remedies that make claims of being effective in treating brain cancer. Most are nutrition or supplements like herbs, fish oils, chokeberry, and many others.

there is no way to prevent brain cancers, early diagnosis and treatment of tumors that tend to metastasize to the brain may reduce the risk of metastatic brain tumors.

What is the treatment for brain cancer?

Surgery

Radiation therapy

Chemotherapy

Surgery attempts to remove all of the tumor cells by cutting the

tumor away from normal brain tissue

Some brain cancers are termed inoperable by surgeons because attempting to remove the cancer may cause further brain damage or death

However, a brain cancer termed inoperable by one surgeon may be considered operable by another surgeon.

Radiation therapy

attempts to destroy tumor cells by using high-energy radiation focused onto the tumor to destroy the tumor cells' ability to function and replicate

focused gamma-ray or X-ray beams that converge on the specific area or areas of the brain where the tumor or other abnormality is located, minimizing the amount of radiation to healthy brain tissue.

Chemotherapy

attempts to destroy tumor cells using chemicals that are designed to destroy specific types of cancer cells.

used specific drug therapies are numerous, and each regimen is usually designed for the specific type of brain cancer individually.

can be administered intrathecally by IV administration, and biodegradable chemically impregnated polymers

attempt to spare normal brain cells.