Brain tumor types include: 

Gliomas

Glial cells are cells that provide support to nerve cells in the tissue of your brain. Gliomas are tumors that are comprised of cells that look like glial cells. Gliomas and related brain tumor types include astrocytoma, glioblastoma, oligodendroglioma, and ependymoma. While some gliomas can be benign, many of them are cancerous. Glioblastoma is the most common type of cancerous brain tumor.

Nerve Tumors 

Nerve tumors occur in and around the nerves surrounding the brain. 

Pituitary Tumors 

The pituitary gland helps create hormones that aid in growth, metabolism, and reproduction. Pituitary tumors occur in or around the pituitary gland and are mostly benign. 

Other Brain Tumors 

Other, more rare forms of brain tumors can occur in or around the brain, including in the muscles, blood vessels, or connective tissues that surround the brain. 

What causes brain cancer? What puts me at risk? 

Brain tumors begin when the DNA in the cells in or surrounding the brain changes. This change signals cells to grow and multiply rapidly. These cells can then form a tumor. It’s uncertain what causes this change in the DNA of a cell that leads it to grow rapidly. While rare, your chances of developing a brain tumor are heightened if you have family who have had brain tumors. If you have a family history with brain tumors, it is advised to discuss your risk with your primary healthcare provider. 

Brain tumors are more often to occur as primary tumors (meaning that is the place of the original occurrence of the tumor) in children. In adults, brain tumors are more likely to be secondary tumors, meaning the cancer originated somewhere else and spread to the brain. Any cancer has the potential to spread to the brain, but the most common types include breast, kidney, colorectal, and melanoma.

The cause for most brain cancers isn’t clear, however, there are some factors that may increase your risk of developing a brain tumor:

• Age – Brain tumors most often occur in older adults. However, certain types of tumors are more common to develop in children.
• Race – Anyone is at risk of developing brain tumors, but certain forms of tumors are more often found in people of certain races. For example, gliomas are more common in people of Caucasian descent.
• Exposure to Radiation – People who have had exposure to strong forms of radiation have an increased risk of developing brain tumors. Strong radiation forms, such as ionizing radiation, are strong enough to potentially cause changes in the DNA of the body’s cells. Low-level radiation from everyday objects isn’t enough to cause a brain tumor.
• Familial History – Some DNA changes are genetically linked. If your family has a history of brain tumors, that could increase your risk of developing one. Other DNA changes, such as Lynch syndrome, Li-Fraumeni syndrome, and Von Hippel-Lindau disease, can put you at increased risk of developing brain tumors. If you are concerned with your risk of developing a brain tumor, it is advised to discuss your risk with your primary healthcare provider.

How do I know if I have brain cancer?

Because different parts of the brain control different bodily functions, the symptoms presented by a brain tumor will depend on where the tumor is located. Additionally, the size and growth progression of the tumor will influence the symptoms that an individual will exhibit.

Common symptoms of brain tumors include:

• Persistent headaches 
• Seizures or convulsions 
• Difficulty thinking or finding words, muddled thinking or clouded thoughts 
• Personality or behavioral changes 
• Change in or difficulty with motor skills, including loss of balance and unsteadiness
• Changes in hearing, vision, or speech
• Confusion or disorientation
• Memory loss

What is the best way to treat brain cancer? 

Treatment for brain cancer and tumors varies depending on the type and stage of tumor you are diagnosed with. Additionally, treatment for brain tumors can involve a combination of different treatments, rather than one. Here are some of the leading treatments for brain tumors, all of which are available at South Texas Oncology and Hematology for Cancer Care. 

Surgery 

Surgery is a common treatment for brain tumors. The surgery you receive will be based on the type and progression of your brain tumor. Surgeries vary by invasiveness and should be discussed between you and your oncologist to determine the best course of treatment for you and your specific tumor. Common surgical treatments for brain tumors include: 

• Craniotomy – During a craniotomy, your surgeon will temporarily remove a small piece of skull to allow access to the brain. 
• Neuroendoscopy – Surgeons gain access to the brain through other parts of the body, such as the nose. This approach helps to minimize post-operative scarring. 
• Biopsy – Doctors take small samples of tissue from the brain tumor to examine and test further. 
• MRI-Guided Laser Ablation and Laster Interstitial Thermal Therapy – With these options, your surgical team uses technology and imaging to locate the tumor and destroy it precisely with the use of lasers or heat. 

Radiation 

In radiation therapies, high-energy x-rays are used to kill cancerous cells or prevent their growth. Radiation therapy can take one of two forms, either internal or external radiation therapy. 

• External radiation therapies include the use of a machine to direct radiation towards the area of the body affected by cancer. External radiation can occur through intensity-modulated radiation therapy (also called IMRT), which aims to prevent damage to nearby healthy tissues. With IMRT, a computer is used to make a three-dimensional rendering of the tumor’s size and shape. Once the tumor is mapped, thin beams of differing strengths are aimed at the tumor from a variety of angles.
• Internal radiation therapies use radiative substances that may be sealed within needles, seeds, catheters, or wires that are placed near or directly into the cancer.

Chemotherapy 

Chemotherapy drugs look for cells that divide quickly (like cancer cells) and destroy them. It is particularly useful when treating cancer in later stages because it can kill cancer cells throughout the whole body. More than half of cancer treatments involve some kind of chemotherapy, sometimes to completely remove the cancer and sometimes to just slow symptoms. You might have heard of chemotherapy side effects such as hair loss, nausea, or damage to the skin and/or bones. These side effects occur because the tissues in your hair, intestines, skin, and bones are all fast-growing cells and thus might potentially be attacked by chemotherapy drugs. 

Chemotherapy drugs can be taken orally or injected into your veins.

Targeted Drug Therapy 

Targeted therapies are better at attacking only cancer cells while sparing healthy body cells. In some cases, targeted therapies do not cause as many side effects as other treatments as they are more effective at targeting only cancer cells. 

In treating brain tumors, your doctor will likely test your tumor cells to determine the most effective targeted therapy for your cancer.

How do I prevent brain cancer? 

There is no proven way to prevent brain tumors. However, you can reduce your risk of developing a brain tumor through avoiding excessive or strong exposure to radiation. You can also reduce your risk through certain lifestyle changes, such as avoiding smoking. 

If you have a familial history of brain tumors, it is recommended to discuss this risk with your primary healthcare provider.

References

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/brain-tumor/symptoms-causes/syc-20350084#:~:text=The%20glial%20cells%20surround%20and,type%20of%20malignant%20brain%20tumor
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/brain-tumor
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/brain-tumor/brain-tumor-treatment
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/6149-brain-cancer-brain-tumor#:~:text=You%20can%20reduce%20your%20risk,to%20tell%20your%20healthcare%20provider