If you have been diagnosed with brain cancer, Infirmary Cancer Care can
help. With specialists in brain cancer and decades of experience treating
and healing our neighbors in Mobile and on the Gulf Coast, we have the
resources and treatment options you need to fight brain cancer.
Brain Cancer: Symptoms & Risks
Brain cancer is the uncontrolled growth of certain brain cells causing
tumors or lesions. Of the close to 80,000 brain tumors diagnosed every
year in the United States, 20,000 of them end up being cancerous. Brain
cancer usually consists of primary brain cancer and secondary cancer.
Primary brain cancer occurs when cancer originates in the brain and is
confined to that organ. Secondary brain cancer occurs when cancer begins
somewhere else in the body and travels to the brain.
Although anyone can be susceptible to brain cancer, the individuals most
at risk are in their 60s, 70s and 80s. Men are also affected at a slightly
higher rate than women. Other risk factors include viruses such as HIV
(human immunodeficiency virus) and EBV (Epstein-Barr virus) and some genetic
syndromes such as Li Fraumeni syndrome. Although environmental and radiation
exposure has not been perfectly linked to brain cancer, this should be
avoided if possible.
Symptoms of brain cancer include changes in vision, seizures, sudden personality
changes or disorders, difficulty speaking and inability to balance. Brain
cancer affects patients in different ways and a patient may have all or
one of these. While brain cancer cannot be prevented entirely, good life
habits such as avoiding smoking and other bad habits can lower an individual
risk of developing brain cancer.
Diagnosis & Staging
Brain cancer diagnoses usually occur after a patient begins experiencing
symptoms and seeks medical attention. After reviewing symptoms and medical
history, a physician will recommend a biopsy or diagnostic work. Diagnosing
brain scans can be done using MRI or CT technology. When a tumor is found,
a neurosurgeon will usually work with the patient to confirm the diagnosis.
This process can involve such actions as comprehensive blood work and
sometimes Stereotactic needle biopsies. The biopsies occur when a small
needle is inserted into the brain to gather samples from the lesion. These
are then tested and used to diagnose tumors and guide treatment options.
Brain cancer can be diagnosed at various levels of seriousness. Although
there is no standard staging system used by the medical community, brain
tumors are usually staged as 1 through 4 with the stage of cancer directly
correlating to the cancer’s aggressive nature.
Treatment Options
Our team works together to provide a comprehensive treatment solution to
your brain cancer. This can be a combination of hormone and chemotherapy
treatments as well as radiation and surgical intervention. If your doctor
believes that surgical intervention is necessary, usually the procedure
performed is a resection. This removes the tumor or cancer to ensure that
it does not spread further and other ill side effects of its presence
in the brain are addressed. Treatments are formulated based on the type
of brain cancer as well as the patient's desires and pre-existing medical
condition.
Get Support Today
If you or a loved one has just been diagnosed with brain cancer or has
similar symptoms, contact Infirmary Cancer Care today. We can help you
through the process of diagnosing, treating and recovering from brain
cancer. Our specialists have the treatments and experience necessary to
provide the best brain cancer treatments possible.
Jimmie G. Gavras, MDGeneral SurgeryInfirmary Surgical Specialists | Fairhope 188 Hospital Drive
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