Brain Tumors - What You Should Know

After the announcement that Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts has been diagnosed with a malignant glioma, the subject of undiscovered brain tumors has been brought to the forefront of many minds across the country.

Two main questions emerge and invoke a great deal of concern- Who is at risk for a brain tumor, and what are the symptoms?

Although science has never established a definitive cause for the development of a brain tumor, certain risk factors seem to increase an individual's likelihood of developing one, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Being male- Males tend to develop brain tumors more often than females.
Being Caucasian- Caucasians tend to develop brain tumors more often than members of any other racial designation.
Being an older or younger person- People over the age of 70 represent the larger group of those with brain tumors, followed by children under the age of 8.
Being part of a family with a history of brain tumors- A genetic connection has been observed in some patients.
Being exposed to certain substances- Namely, being exposed to radiation, formaldehyde, vinyl chloride and/or acrylonitrile may increase the risk of tumors.

Despite possessing one or all of these factors, many people never develop tumors. These factors simply indicate an increase in likelihood, not a definitive sentence.

According to the American Brain Tumor Association, common symptoms that indicate a brain tumor are many and varied.

Seizures
Headaches
Impaired speech, memory, communication and/or concentration
Intellectual problems and/or confusion
Changes in behavior, temperament and personality
Nausea and/or vomiting
Drowsiness
Vision problems
Weakness or paralysis
Decreased muscle control
Ringing in the ears or hearing loss

All of these symptoms need not be present to indicate the presence of a brain tumor. Also, it should be noted that the presence of any of these symptoms may indicate a health condition other than a brain tumor. All symptoms listed are potentially serious and should receive medical attention if persistent.

In the case of Senator Kennedy, a seizure the Saturday prior to diagnosis was severe enough to merit his being airlifted to Massachusetts General Hospital from his home in Cape Cod.

Although the Senator's tumor is unfortunately cancerous, not all brain tumors are. Many brain tumors are benign, and doctors can remove them surgically without threat of return. Malignant, or cancerous, tumors contain abnormal cells that can continue to grow and spread to other parts of the body, even if a tumor is removed. A glioma is simply a brain tumor composed of glial cells.

Tumors are graded by a scale coined the "WHO (World Health Organization)Scale", in which tumors are graded from I-IV, with grade IV being the most serious.

Dr. Henry Brem of Johns Hopkins Medical Institute told the Baltimore Sun that over the course of the last decade, around 1,000 patients with malignant gliomas were operated on (at Johns Hopkins) and the average survival rate was 2 years.

Sources:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.kennedy21may21,0,3512626.story

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/brain

http://www.abta.org/index.cfm?contentid=13