Adult Brain Tumours

These tumours are a disease in which cancerous cells begin to multiply in the brain. They fall into two types: primary brain tumours, and metastatic brain tumours. Primary brain tumours and those which start in the brain itself whilst metastatic brain tumours are those which have spread to the brain from another part of the body. There are several common symptoms of adult brain tumours which include: change in mood or personality, vomiting, alteration in ability to think or learn, decrease in appetite, and frequent headaches.

Testing for Adult Brain Tumours

There are two main types of test used to find and diagnose brain tumours. A CT scan, or CAT scan, may be used to create multiple pictures of a part of the body taken from different angles. This method uses an x-ray machine to see inside the body. To help with this a dye is often put into the blood to help blood vessels show up in the images.

An MRI is the other possible method of finding and diagnosing a brain tumour. The patient is injected with gadolinium which gathers around cancerous cells making them appear brighter in images created by the machine which uses magnets and radio waves to create pictures of the inside of the body.

Brain Tumour Grade

Tests are also carried out to discern the grade of a tumour. Tissue, which is removed for biopsy, is examined under a microscope for the levels of abnormality exhibited as well as likely speed of growth. The tumour is graded from 1 to 4 based on severity.

Treatment

There are three standard treatments for brain tumours. Surgery is used wherever possible to remove the tumour manually. Radiation therapy is another option of which there are two types – internal and external therapy. The exact type is chosen based on the severity of the tumour. The other possibility is for chemotherapy which also has several variations based on severity.