Brain tumor history and symptoms: Difference between revisions

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Whether primary, metastatic, malignant, or benign, brain tumors must be differentiated from other space-occupying lesions such as abscesses, arteriovenous malformations, and infarction, which can have a similar clinical presentation.<ref> Hutter A, Schwetye KE, Bierhals AJ, et al.: Brain neoplasms: epidemiology, diagnosis, and prospects for cost-effective imaging. Neuroimaging Clin N Am 13 (2): 237-50, x-xi, 2003.</ref> Other clinical presentations of brain tumors include focal cerebral syndromes such as seizures.<ref> Mehta M, Vogelbaum MA, Chang S, et al.: Neoplasms of the central nervous system. In: DeVita VT Jr, Lawrence TS, Rosenberg SA: Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2011, pp 1700-49.</ref> Seizures are a presenting symptom in approximately 20% of patients with supratentorial brain tumors and may antedate the clinical diagnosis by months to years in patients with slow-growing tumors. Among all patients with brain tumors, 70% with primary parenchymal tumors and 40% with metastatic brain tumors develop seizures at some time during the clinical course.<ref> Cloughesy T, Selch MT, Liau L: Brain. In: Haskell CM: Cancer Treatment. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders Co, 2001, pp 1106-42.
Whether primary, metastatic, malignant, or benign, brain tumors must be differentiated from other space-occupying lesions such as abscesses, arteriovenous malformations, and infarction, which can have a similar clinical presentation.<ref> Hutter A, Schwetye KE, Bierhals AJ, et al.: Brain neoplasms: epidemiology, diagnosis, and prospects for cost-effective imaging. Neuroimaging Clin N Am 13 (2): 237-50, x-xi, 2003.</ref> Other clinical presentations of brain tumors include focal cerebral syndromes such as seizures.<ref> Mehta M, Vogelbaum MA, Chang S, et al.: Neoplasms of the central nervous system. In: DeVita VT Jr, Lawrence TS, Rosenberg SA: Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2011, pp 1700-49.</ref> Seizures are a presenting symptom in approximately 20% of patients with supratentorial brain tumors and may antedate the clinical diagnosis by months to years in patients with slow-growing tumors. Among all patients with brain tumors, 70% with primary parenchymal tumors and 40% with metastatic brain tumors develop seizures at some time during the clinical course.<ref> Cloughesy T, Selch MT, Liau L: Brain. In: Haskell CM: Cancer Treatment. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders Co, 2001, pp 1106-42.
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Headaches caused by brain tumors may:
Be worse when the person wakes up in the morning, and clear up in a few hours
Occur during sleep
Occur with vomiting, confusion, double vision, weakness, or numbness
Get worse with coughing or exercise, or with a change in body position
Other symptoms may include:
Change in alertness (including sleepiness, unconsciousness, and coma)
Changes in hearing
Changes in taste or smell
Changes that affect touch and the ability to feel pain, pressure, different temperatures, or other stimuli
Clumsiness
Confusion or memory loss
Difficulty swallowing
Difficulty writing or reading
Dizziness or abnormal sensation of movement (vertigo)
Eye problems
Eyelid drooping
Pupils of different sizes
Uncontrollable movements
Hand tremor
Lack of control over the bladder or bowels
Loss of balance
Loss of coordination
Muscle weakness in the face, arm, or leg (usually on just one side)
Numbness or tingling on one side of the body
Personality, mood, behavior, or emotional changes
Problems with eyesight, including decreased vision, double vision, or total loss of vision
Trouble speaking or understanding others who are speaking
Trouble walking
Other symptoms that may occur with a Pitutary tumor:
Abnormal nipple discharge
Absent menstruation (periods)
Breast development in men
Enlarged hands, feet
Excessive body hair
Facial changes
Low Blood pressure
Obesity
Sensitivity to heat or cold
==History==
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

Revision as of 06:54, 24 March 2012

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Brain tumor Microchapters

Patient Information

Overview

Classification

Adult brain tumors
Glioblastoma multiforme
Oligodendroglioma
Meningioma
Hemangioblastoma
Pituitary adenoma
Schwannoma
Primary CNS lymphoma
Childhood brain tumors
Pilocytic astrocytoma
Medulloblastoma
Ependymoma
Craniopharyngioma
Pinealoma
Metastasis
Lung cancer
Breast cancer
Melanoma
Gastrointestinal tract cancer
Renal cell carcinoma
Osteoblastoma
Head and neck cancer
Neuroblastoma
Lymphoma
Prostate cancer

Causes

Differentiating Brain Tumor from other Diseases

Overview

Although there is no specific clinical symptom or sign for brain tumors, slowly progressive focal neurologic signs and signs of elevated intracranial pressure, as well as epilepsy in a patient with a negative history for epilepsy should raise red flags. However, a sudden onset of symptoms, such as an epileptic seizure in a patient with no prior history of epilepsy, sudden intracranial hypertension (this may be due to bleeding within the tumor, brain swelling or obstruction of cerebrospinal fluid's passage) is also possible.

Symptoms

Symptoms include phantom odors and tastes. Often, in the case of metastatic tumors, the smell of vulcanized rubber is prevalent.

General signs and symptoms include the following:

  • Headaches.
  • Seizures.
  • Visual changes.
  • Gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, loss of appetite, and vomiting.
  • Changes in personality, mood, mental capacity, and concentration.

Whether primary, metastatic, malignant, or benign, brain tumors must be differentiated from other space-occupying lesions such as abscesses, arteriovenous malformations, and infarction, which can have a similar clinical presentation.[1] Other clinical presentations of brain tumors include focal cerebral syndromes such as seizures.[2] Seizures are a presenting symptom in approximately 20% of patients with supratentorial brain tumors and may antedate the clinical diagnosis by months to years in patients with slow-growing tumors. Among all patients with brain tumors, 70% with primary parenchymal tumors and 40% with metastatic brain tumors develop seizures at some time during the clinical course.[3]

  1. ↑ Hutter A, Schwetye KE, Bierhals AJ, et al.: Brain neoplasms: epidemiology, diagnosis, and prospects for cost-effective imaging. Neuroimaging Clin N Am 13 (2): 237-50, x-xi, 2003.
  2. ↑ Mehta M, Vogelbaum MA, Chang S, et al.: Neoplasms of the central nervous system. In: DeVita VT Jr, Lawrence TS, Rosenberg SA: Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2011, pp 1700-49.
  3. ↑ Cloughesy T, Selch MT, Liau L: Brain. In: Haskell CM: Cancer Treatment. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders Co, 2001, pp 1106-42.
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