About this disease
What it is about
Brain tumors can occur at any age. Depending on where the tumor is located, the symptoms can be quite different. Since space in the head and spinal cord is limited, benign tumors may also cause major health problems. Accordingly, these must also be treated. The prognosis varies greatly depending on the type of tumor. The involvement of specialists in neurology and neurosurgery is essential in the diagnosis as well as in the treatment.
Types
Depending on the cell of origin of the tumor, the tumors of the brain and meninges are classified: Thus, there are neurinomas, gliomas, glioblastomas, meningiomas, astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas, etc. But other cells in the brain can also degenerate. For example, there are also primary lymphoid cancers in the brain. The most common tumors in the brain do not originate in the brain itself, but are so-called metastases, i.e. offshoots of other types of cancer (e.g. breast cancer, lung cancer, melanoma) that have spread in the body.
Symptoms and consequences
If a tumor grows within the brain, this can lead to headaches, epileptic seizures, paralysis, vomiting, personality changes or visual and speech disorders. If a tumor originates in the spinal cord, the symptoms are usually located further down the body, such as weakness of the arms or legs and incontinence.
What we do for you
Examination and diagnosis
In addition to a survey of the symptoms and physical examination, precise imaging of the head and/or spinal cord by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is necessary. In most cases, this can already reveal a lot about the probable cause of the tumor. However, the exact diagnosis can ultimately only be made by means of a tissue sample. If offshoots in the body, so-called metastases, are suspected, further imaging examinations and clarifications are carried out in order to locate the actual tumor of origin.
Treatment
The treatment concept is discussed as part of the interdisciplinary tumor case discussion, the so-called tumor board. If possible, tumors in the area of the brain are almost always operated on and/or irradiated. However, chemotherapy may also be necessary at an early stage, for example in the case of highly aggressive glioblastoma. In contrast to other types of tumors, tissue samples are often not taken prior to surgery, since brain surgery is always associated with risks.