Brain tumours can happen in any age group, but not all cases are cancerous; and timely detection and treatment can help in early cure and return to normal life, eminent neurosurgeon at the KIMS Bhubaneswar, Dr Narendra Kumar Das said on the World Brain Tumour Awareness Day on June 8.
Dr Das, credited with hundreds of surgeries on brain tumours, said brain tumours could also have some genetic linkage. Besides, he also alluded to the risk of overuse of cell phones and its potential impact on brains, studies of which are currently underway.
“Not all brain tumours are cancerous. Only 30% to 35% of cases might lead to such conditions. A large number of patients with brain tumours are treatable and curable. However it depends on the nature of the tumour,” he said.
Dr Das said most people diagnosed with malignant brain tumours live less than five years, but those with nonmalignant tumours usually survive much longer. The five-year survival rate for malignant tumours is 35.8% compared to 91.5% for nonmalignant tumours.
Some of the symptoms possibly linked to a brain tumour could be headache, vomiting, convulsions, paralysis or loss of function, vision loss, hearing loss, difficulty in walking, communication and speech abnormalities. Hence, if a person realises or his/her family thinks that the patient could be suffering from a brain tumour or having any of the above symptoms, the immediate step is to consult a neurologist or a neurosurgeon.
Dr Das also made it clear that the occurrence of the tumour could only be unambiguously confirmed from tests like CT scans and MRI scans of the brain, etc. These tests can help in describing the size, location and type of brain tumour which is essential for treatment planning and prognosis.
The common types of brain tumours are Astrocytoma, Glioblastoma, Meningioma, Metastatic, schwannomas, pituitary, medulloblastoma, etc. Treatment:
Surgery is the most common treatment for brain tumours. The surgeon removes as much of the cancerous/ tumour cells as possible without damaging healthy brain tissues.
Thanks to advancements in medical science, surgery has become minimally invasive and an effective means to treat the disease. Modern surgical equipments such as specialised microscopes, neuro navigation system, intra-operative monitoring systems, intra-operative CT scans neuro endoscopic systems, etc., havr played a pivotal role in treating brain tumour cases successfully, Dr Das said.
“The neurosurgery operative procedure is now done in a very precise and safe manner with minimum injury to tissues and blood loss,” he said. Some cancerous brain tumours may require adjuvant treatment such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy and radio-surgery.
Dr Das also spoke about “Awake Craniotomy”, which is helping the patients recover in a better way. It is a type of procedure performed while the patient remains awake and alert. It allows the surgeon to assess in real-time how the removal of tissue will affect speech, vision and movement function.
For example, Dr Das said, if a singer is suffering from a tumour that may affect his/her speech or singing ability then “Awake Craniotomy” can help in preserving the speech function. The surgeon performs the operation while the patient is awake and singing.
After the brain tumour surgery, a majority of the patients recover quickly. However, the recovery depends on whether the tumour is cancerous or noncancerous and the condition in which the patient has come to the hospital. If the patient reaches the doctor late and with a neurological deficit then the recovery may not be good.