how to get brain tumour treatment and surgery in india
Post on 21-Jan-2015
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Common symptoms like headaches, vomiting, loss of
orientation, etc. could indicate the presence of a brain
Tumour
A brain tumour is an abnormal growth of cells within the brain. It
arises from glial cells of the brain, lymphatic tissues, nerves and
meninges. Benign brain tumours grow slowly but they can
compress adjacent parts of the brain. Malignant tumours grow
rapidly and they invade adjacent structures of the brain. Brain
tumours are graded according to the nature of cell growth.
Grade I and II tumours are grouped as low-grade, whereas
grade III and IV are grouped as high-grade tumours. Prognosis
is better in low-grade or benign tumours.
The following types of Brain Bumours are seen commonly:
•In Children: Juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma, craniopharyngioma, medulloblastoma,
brainstem glioma and germ cell tumours.
•In Adults: Astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma, ependymoma, meningioma, vestibular
schwannoma and lymphoma. Cancers from other parts of the body can also spread to
brain.
•Headaches, usually in the morning
•Vomiting
•Convulsions or seizures
•Weakness in Limbs
•Loss of balance while walking
•Altered Speech or Vision
•Altered Behaviour
•Loss of Orientation
•Memory Lapses
What are the Common Symptoms of Brain Tumours?
How are Brain Tumours Diagnosed?
Imaging: CT scan or MRI scan of brain is commonly performed.
In Adults: Astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma, ependymoma, meningioma, vestibular
schwannoma and lymphoma. Cancers from other parts of the body can also spread
to brain.
Biopsy: A piece of tumour is removed for examination by open surgery or in
stereotactic fashion using rigid frame to fix skull and localizing tumour under
guidance of CT scan or MRI.
How are Brain Tumours Treated? Brain tumours are treated by surgery, radiation therapy or
chemotherapy, or a combination of these. The choice of
treatment depends upon the age of the patient, type of
tumour, its location, size and grade.
Surgery: Maximum safe resection of the tumour or at least a
biopsy is the standard goal of surgery.
Radiation therapy: Radiation kills tumour cells with high
energy X-rays, gamma rays or protons. It is usually started
after surgery and given over 5-6 weeks.
Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill
cancer cells. It is given orally or through veins. It is given
concomitantly with radiation therapy in high-grade tumours.
It is also given in recurrent brain tumours after failure of
initial treatment.
What are the Advances in Radiation Therapy of Brain Tumours?
3-Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy (3D-CRT) and Intensity Modulated
Radiation Therapy (IMRT): CT scan and MRI are used to delineate the tumour and
computers are used for radiation planning. Only the tumour and the high-risk region
surrounding the tumour is radiated, avoiding radiation to the normal structures in the
brain.
Stereotactic Radio-surgery (SRS) and Stereotactic Radiotherapy (SRT): Highly precise
immobilization and image guidance system is used for treatment of selected brain
tumours. High dose of radiation is delivered only to the tumour with very minimal spillage
of dose to the rest of the sensitive brain structures. Stereotactic radiotherapy is preferred
in children. Stereotactic radio-surgery delivering high-dose of radiation in single or a very
few sessions is performed in adults with tumours such as metastatic residual glioma,
meningioma and schwannoma. Novalis-Tx and Cyberknife are advanced machines to
deliver such high-precision therapy.
What are the Advances in Radiation Therapy of Brain Tumours?
High-definition Rapid Arc: This is the latest software advancement in radiation planning
technology. Radiation is delivered in continuous fashion moving the machine head and its
small components simultaneously around the patient's head targeting the tumour by
infinite small radiation beams. Radiation treatment with such a technique is highly precise
and fast. This is preferred in children and elderly patients who cannot lie on treatment
couches for long periods.
Proton beam therapy: Proton therapy avoids spillage of radiation dose to the surrounding
brain. It is preferred in children as well as in patients with recurrent tumours who have
received radiation therapy earlier.
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