A Guide to Brain Cancer

How many times have you brushed away the thought of persistent headaches by saying, “I didn’t sleep well last night”? Numerous times, we believe. Something as trivial as nausea, unconsciousness or a mild headache might refer to a common cold virus, migraine, thyroid problems and in rare yet exponentially increasing cases, brain cancer.

Cancer is a slow poison spreading and cutting through the flesh of mankind, almost like a rebel without a cause because researchers, doctors, and scientists have still not pinpointed the very reason and cause that is initiating this silent plague.

In the human body, the growth and regulation of cells are impressively organized and controlled. However, in the oncogenic(cancerous) transformation of cells, the conventional mechanisms are thrown out of the window. Healthy cells possess a property called contact inhibition which aids the inhibition of uncontrolled growth of a given cell upon contact with another cell. This property ceases to exist in cancerous cells that divide and multiply to create a mass of cells that form a tumour.

Tumours can be benign(constricted to one place) or malignant(proliferating and affecting multiple locations). In malignant tumours, affected cells compete with normal cells for vital nutrients and invade their spaces. Cells discarded and sloughed through this process flow from the primary tumour site through the blood and attain a secondary site through a mechanism called metastasis.

Brain tumours primarily occur in two regions:

·        Infratentorial, containing cerebellum

·        Supratentorial, containing cerebrum

Tumour types are classified based on the grading of morphological and functional features of affected cells as given by WHO (World Health Organization). The causes of brain cancer can be primary or secondary. Primary brain tumour among adults is often caused by radiations such as UV, X-ray and gamma rays resulting in DNA damage which leads to mutation. However, secondary brain tumour often results as a consequence of cancerous outgrowths spreading to the cerebrum.

Detection and diagnosis of cancers occur through biopsy and histopathological studies(studying cell growth to check for an increase). Antibodies against antigens that are cancer-specific are also used. Specifically for brain cancers, medical imaging involving PET CT scan or tissue biopsy is required. PET scan in Panchkula is available for people who want to prevent this disease.

Treatment of brain cancer occurs based ontumour grade. Surgery, radiation therapy and immunotherapy can be used to treat cancer. A substance called biological response modifier such as alpha-interferon can be used to boost the immune system. A combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy can be used to treat this disease. Excellent treatment for brain cancer is provided in the best cancer hospital in Chandigarh.