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A Brain Tumor is a collection, or mass, of abnormal cells in your brain. Your skull, which encloses your brain, is very rigid. Any growth inside such a restricted space can cause problems.

Brain Tumors can be cancerous (malignant) or noncancerous (benign). When benign or malignant Tumors grow, they can cause the pressure inside your skull to increase. This can cause Brain damage, and it can be life-threatening.

Symptoms of Brain Tumors depend on the location and size of the Tumor. Some Tumors cause direct damage by invading brain tissue and some tumors cause pressure on the surrounding brain.

You’ll have noticeable symptoms when a growing tumor is putting pressure on your brain tissue.

Headaches are a common symptom of a Brain Tumor.

You may experience Headaches that:

• Are worse in the morning when waking up
• Occur while you’re sleeping
• Are made worse by coughing, sneezing, or exercise

You may also experience:

• Vomiting
• Blurred vision or double vision
• Confusion
• Seizures (Especially in adults)
• Weakness of a limb or part of the face
• A change in mental functioning

Diagnosis of a Brain Tumor begins with a physical exam and a look at your medical history.

The doctor may also evaluate your:

• Muscle strength
• Coordination
• Memory
• Ability to do mathematical calculations

Your doctor may order more tests after they finish the physical exam. These could include:

• CT Scan of the Head
• CT Scans are ways for your doctor to get a more detailed scan of your body than they could with an X-ray machine. This can be done with or without contrast.

MRI of the head

If you have an MRI of your head, a special dye can be used to help your doctor detect Tumors. An MRI is different from a CT scan because it doesn’t use radiation, and it generally provides much more detailed pictures of the structures of the brain itself.

Biopsy

A small piece of the Tumor is obtained during a biopsy. A specialist called a neuropathologist will examine it. The biopsy will identify if the tumor cells are benign or malignant. It will also determine whether the cancer originated in your brain or another part of your body.

Treatment of Brain Tumors

The treatment of a Brain Tumor depends on:

• The type of tumor
• The size of the tumor
• The location of the tumor
• Your general health
• The most common treatment for Brain Tumors is surgery. The goal is to remove as much of the cancer as possible without causing damage to the healthy parts of the brain.

With morden equipment and technology most of the Brain Tumor surgery can be done with nil to minimal complication.

Some malignant Tumor will require radiation and chemotherapy.