Guide To The Symptoms Of Brain Cancer
Brain cancer is a malignancy that begins in the cells of an individual's brain tissues. These tissues include the cells that make up the membranes, blood vessels, and bones that surround or are inside of the brain. Secondary brain cancer can occur when a malignancy that begins in another part of an individual's body spreads to the tissues in their brain. Common types of brain cancer include gliomas, meningiomas, pituitary adenomas, medulloblastomas, CNS lymphomas, and vestibular schwannomas. Certain factors can increase the risk of developing brain cancer, including certain genetic factors, HIV infection, cigarette smoking, exposure to certain environmental toxins, and radiation exposure to the head. Brain cancer is diagnosed using a contrast CT scan, blood tests, MRIs, urine tests, and tissue biopsy. Treatment methods for brain cancer depend on the tumor stage, tumor location, and the patient's prognosis.
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Clumsiness And Difficulty Walking
Difficulty walking and clumsiness are some of the more common symptoms that occur in a brain cancer patient because several parts of the brain have to work together to perform such functions. A cancerous tumor growing in or around an individual's cerebellum in the brain can cause them to lose function of their fine motor skills. This loss of function causes them to be more clumsy than usual when handling objects and performing tasks with their hands.
A cancerous tumor that presses on or develops in the cerebellum can also cause the patient to experience problems with keeping their balance. Because balance is required for an individual to walk normally, this malfunction manifests as difficulty walking. An individual who is having trouble walking and is more clumsy than usual may be affected by a brain tumor pressing on or inside of their brain stem, temporal lobe, or occipital lobe. Abnormalities in these parts of the brain can cause the patient to have vision changes that affect their ability to walk and perform tasks requiring fine motor skills.
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Chronic Headaches
Chronic headaches that occur in individuals affected by a cancerous brain tumor exhibit certain characteristics that can help distinguish them from an everyday migraine. A brain tumor precipitated headache is one that comes on strong and fast, rather than a headache that gradually increases in severity over several hours. A brain tumor is more likely to cause an affected individual to wake up from sleep at night and in the morning with a headache. Headaches that fluctuate in pain severity when the patient moves or changes their body position is more indicative of a brain tumor than those that do not. Headache pain that does not effectively respond to medication like ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or acetylsalicylic acid can be indicative of a cancerous brain tumor. Headaches caused by brain tumors are also more likely to last for days or even weeks at a time. Headaches accompanied by vision changes, seizures, speech problems, unilateral weakness, and personality changes are of greater concern when it comes to the possibility of brain cancer.
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