| Brain Tumor – Threat to Society | | | | survey reported that they had nausea and /or |
| Â | | | | vomiting as a symptom |
| Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â In the fast moving world, Brain | | | | 4. |
| tumor is one of the major causes for the increase in | | | | Â Â Problems with vision- Twenty-five percent |
| Mortality among children and adults. Brain tumor is one | | | | reported vision problems. This one is easy - if you |
| an abnormal mass of tissue in which cells grow and | | | | notice any problem with your hearing or vision, it |
| multiply, seemingly unchecked by the mechanisms | | | | must be checked out. I commonly hear that the eye |
| that control normal cells. The complex brain tumors | | | | doctor is the first one to make the diagnosis - |
| can be separated into two general categories | | | | because when they look in your eyes, they can |
| depending on the tumors origin, their growth pattern | | | | sometimes see signs of increased intracranial |
| and malignancy. Primary brain tumors are tumors that | | | | pressure. This must be investigated. |
| arise from cells in the brain or from the covering of | | | | 5. Problems with sensation in your hands- Problems |
| the brain. A secondary or metastatic brain tumor | | | | with weakness of the arms, legs or face muscles, |
| occurs when cancer cells spread to the brain from a | | | | and strange sensations in your head or hands. |
| primary cancer in another part of the body. Most | | | | Twenty-five percent reported weakness of the arms |
| Research in developed countries show that the | | | | and/or legs. Sixteen percent reported strange |
| number of people who develop brain tumors and die | | | | feelings in the head, and 9% reported strange |
| from them has increased perhaps as much as 300 | | | | feelings in the hands |
| over past three decades. The National Brain Tumor | | | | 6. Behavioral and cognitive problems: Many reported |
| Foundation (NBTF) for research in United States | | | | behavioral and cognitive changes, such as: problems |
| estimates that 29,000 people in the U.S are | | | | with recent memory, inability to concentrate or |
| diagnosed with primary brain tumors each year, and | | | | finding the right words, acting out - no patience or |
| nearly 13,000 people die. In children, brain tumors are | | | | tolerance, and loss of inhibitions - saying or doing |
| the cause of one quarter of all cancer deaths. The | | | | things that are not appropriate for the situation. |
| overall annual incidence of primary brain tumors in the | | | | Â |
| U.S is 11 to 12 per 100,000 people for primary | | | | Â |
| malignant brain tumors, that rate is 6 to 7 per | | | | Basic Symptoms |
| 1,00,000. In the UK, over 4,200 people are | | | | Affected Rate |
| diagnosed with a brain tumor every year (2007 | | | | Â Headaches |
| estimates). There are about 200 other types of | | | | 76.80% |
| tumors diagnosed in UK each year. About 16 out | | | |  Strange feeling in head |
| of every 1,000 cancers diagnosed in the UK are in | | | | 43.55% |
| the brain (or 1.6%). In India, totally 80,271 people are | | | | Â Seizures |
| affected by various types of tumor (2007 | | | | 32.97% |
| estimates). NBTF reported highest rate of primary | | | | Â Problems finding the right words |
| malignant brain tumor occurred in Northern Europe, | | | | 34.46% |
| United States and Israel. Lowest rate arised in India | | | | Â Weakness of the arm(s) or leg(s) |
| and Philippines. Brain tumor cannot be prevented yet, | | | | 41.93% |
| because causes are being detected only recently. | | | | Â Nausea / Vomitting |
| Brain tumor symptoms vary from patient to patient. | | | | 36.50% |
| The common brain tumor symptoms are: | | | | Â Problems with vision |
| Â | | | | 46.00% |
| 1. Headaches - This is common symptom, with 46% | | | | Â Problems with sensation in your hands |
| of the patients reporting having headaches. They | | | | 22.80% |
| described the headaches in many different ways, | | | | Â Strange smell felt |
| with no one pattern being a sure sign of brain tumor. | | | | 18.72% |
| Many - perhaps most - people get headaches at | | | | Â |
| some point in their life, so this is not a definite sign of | | | | Â |
| brain tumors. | | | | Â |
| 2. Â Seizures- A seizure is a sudden, involuntary | | | | Overview: |
| change in behavior, muscle control, consciousness, | | | | Primary symptoms of brain tumor are headache, |
| and/or sensation. Symptoms of a seizure can range | | | | vomiting and nausea, weakness in hearing and |
| from sudden, violent shaking and total loss of | | | | eyesight, lack of strength in arms and legs, strange |
| consciousness to muscle twitching or slight shaking of | | | | sensations in heads and hands. Surgery is the |
| a limb. Staring into space, altered vision, and difficulty | | | | treatment of choice for accessible brain tumors. |
| in speaking are some of the other behaviors that a | | | | Accessible tumors are those which can be surgically |
| person may exhibit while having a seizure. | | | | removed without causing severe neurological damage. |
| Approximately 10% of the U.S. population will | | | | Tumors located in gray matter or deep within the |
| experience a single seizure in their lifetime. | | | | brain may be inaccessible. Brain tumor surgery in India |
| 3. Nausea / Vomitting-As with headaches, these are | | | | at Indian metros of Delhi and Mumbai has acquired a |
| non-specific - which means that most people who | | | | good scope for providing health recovery to abroad |
| have nausea and vomiting do NOT have a brain | | | | natives coming to India for removal and cure of brain |
| tumor. Twenty-two percent of the people in our | | | | tumors.. |