Sunday, January 22, 2012

What Are the Different Brain Tumor Types?

You may have heard of cancer but have no idea as to what are the different types of brain cancer. A tumor is very serious and dangerous to life. This type of cancer is essentially intracranial or inside the cranium. It is a solid neoplasm which is an abnormal growth of cells that is within the central spinal cord or within the brain.

Types of tumors are abnormal and sporadic cell division within the brain itself. They also affect the pituitary gland, the skull, the lymphatic tissue, the cranial nerves or the pineal gland. Brain cancer are commonly spread from cancerous cells in the body of a person suffering from cancer which are called as metastatic tumors.

Different types of brain cancer

There are two essential brain cancer types that can be treated; these are benign and malignant types. Some types of cancer begin in the brain and are called as primary tumors and those that are metastatic tumors are a result of some cancerous or disease causing cells spread from other parts of the body to the brain. brain cancer types vary even in the symptoms, some tumors are detected with visible symptoms while other show up only in an imaging scan or an autopsy.

Glioma brain cancer: The glial cells are the place from where this tumor originates in the brain or spine.

Meningioma brain cancer: Arising from meninges or the membranes encompassing the central nervous system, this brain cancer comes out in diverse forms. It is one of the most common primary tumors affecting individuals.

Pituitary adenoma brain cancer: Arising from the pituitary gland which is one of the significant parts of the cranium of the brain, this type of cancer can range from the smallest to as large at 10 mm in size. They are often detected only through brain scans or autopsies.

Nerve sheath brain cancer: Originating in the nervous system, this tumor is one of those types of cancer that are primarily made up of myelin around the nerves of the nervous system.

How can one treat brain tumor?

A neurosurgeon is often a person who can treat all brain tumor types. The most common treatment for tumors is to completely remove it in case it does not affect any immediate or serious part of the brain through surgery. Other treatments include radiation therapy where the brain tumor is treated with radiation waves. This will ensure that the brain tumor reduces in size or the cells within the tumor die in order to prevent the spread of the tumor. Gamma knife treatment is also a very effective way of treating all brain tumor types as the gamma knife machine cuts the brain tumor cells by isolating gamma waves on the brain tumor.

Chemotherapy is also a commonly used treatment for treating all brain tumor types.

Successfully recoveries from all brain tumor types are present all over the world, as neurosurgeons have managed to treat them in order to give people a second life with the most advanced technologies at hand.






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