A recent study by the World Health Organization has revealed that brain cancer develops in 22,000 new people annually. The death toll associated with cancer has increased too with 13,000 people recorded to have succumbed to the disease every year.
Brain cancer can emanate from other parts of the body and spread to the brain, this is referred to as secondary cancer. Tumors that form in the brain can also be a cause of primary brain cancer. Common symptoms of the disease include speech problems, visual disturbances, weak limbs, and headaches just to mention a few. In addition, seizures and focal neurological deficits may also indicate the presence of the disease.
These two common types of brain cancer require two different types of treatment. Secondary brain cancer requires either Gamma knife surgery, chemotherapy or surgery followed by radiotherapy. On the other hand, primary brain cancer requires surgery followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
While a brain tumor may look like the chief source of brain cancer, not all of them are cancerous. Also, brain tumors vary, none is the same as the other. Headaches are the most common symptom of brain cancer, an increase in their frequency and intensity is enough reason to visit a doctor as fast as possible.
To add to the cancer facts mentioned above, you should also know that family history plays a big part in the spread of brain cancer. Apart from these, here are other facts about brain cancer that you need to familiarize yourself with.
4Wide Number of Brain Tumors
As earlier stated, brain cancer can emanate from the body or from a tumor already in the brain. Also, not all the brain tumors are malignant. With over 120 types of brain tumors on record, it is very easy to assume that any tumor in the head can cause cancer. Benign tumors grow slowly and rarely spread to other parts of the brain but are hazardous and require proper treatment.
On the other hand, malignant tumors grow very fast and are often life threatening. The rate at which they grow at is stupendous too with multiple hospitals reporting patients to have succumbed to brain cancer barely 10 days after a diagnosis. A particular tumor, called glioblastoma is regarded the most aggressive. There are many types of brain tumors, but not all of them cause brain cancer.
