Brain Tumor is Curable and No Longer Scary

Brain tumor can be cured with modern advances in technology and early detection, suggest doctors on the World Brain Tumor Day.

"With the advent of modern technology and advanced surgical modalities, brain tumor is no longer as scary as it used to be a few years ago. If the cases are detected early, then 90 percent of benign brain tumors are curable," said Rahul Gupta, Senior Brain, Spine and Endovascular Surgeon at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, New Delhi.

About Brain Tumor
Brain tumors are the abnormal growth of brain cells that may be benign or metastatic. Brain tumors account for about 2.4% of all the tumor diagnosesandare most challenging due to their critically delicate location.

‘Brain tumor is curable with the advent of modern technology and advanced surgical modalities. Brain tumor is no longer scary.’

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Speaking on one of the latest technology advancements in brain tumor treatment, Gupta said Frameless Neuro Navigation Systems guides the surgeon to the surgical targets without the use of external frames and limits the size of skull opening for safely removing the tumor.

"Not all tumors are cancerous. There are two main types -- noncancerous (benign) and cancerous (malignant). These are graded depending on how fast they grow and what are the chances of it growing back," said Mukesh Pandey, Senior Consultant, Neuro and Spine Surgery, Fortis Hospital, New Delhi.

Doctors advise regular screening as early detection and treatment will help in the prevention of complications.

Brain Tumor in Children - Types, Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment
An abnormal growth of cells in the brain is called brain tumor. Most tumors arise within the brain (primary). They can be benign or cancerous.

"Timely diagnosis and treatment are very important in deciding the outcome. The most common symptom is a headache which is typically early in the morning, and it may be associated with repeated vomiting," said Rohit Bansil, Senior Neurosurgeon, BLK Superspeciality Hospital, New Delhi.

"Some patients may even have seizure or weakness of one side of the body or drowsiness, depending on the location of a tumor. If you notice such symptoms, you should immediately see a neurosurgeon," he added.

Common Cold Virus Increases Survival In Brain Tumor Patients
Engineered common cold virus injected directly into the brain kills cancer cells and increases survival of patients with a malignant tumor called glioblastoma.

The exact cause of brain tumor is still unknown, but there are some risk factors which may lead to brain tumor. These are old age, past history of the disease, family history, and radiation including CT scans, X-rays and radiotherapy, doctors said.

Shirish Hastak, Neurologist at Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai said that apart from age and family history, there are other key factors that can put one at risk of brain tumor.

Brain Tumor in Children: New Therapy Target Offers Hope
Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) is a type of brain tumor in children. Restoring the p16 gene could help in treatment.

"Frequent use of cell phones may cause brain tumor. Preliminary investigations bring to light how the radio frequency energy from cell phones is capable of causing brain tumors; however, the results on this are inconsistent. Exposure to certain chemicals which are carcinogenic in nature can also increase the risk of brain cancer. People who are exposed to ionizing radiation are highly prone to brain tumors," said Hastak.

In India, every year 40,000-50,000 persons are diagnosed with brain tumor, which is a life-threatening medical condition caused by abnormal growth of brain cells.

Source-IANS