Medical Approaches to the Treatment of Benign Brain Tumor

Medical science knows more than 120 types of tumors that can develop in the brain, while the majority of them are classified as benign. The course of disease development is very slow, with no severe symptoms, so patients are unaware of the presence of the disease for long time.

The causes of the development of benign tumors in the brain have not been fully studied, but there was identified a connection between the development of some forms and the effects of radiation or electromagnetic radiation, injuries, unbalanced diet, prolonged use of certain drugs. The cases of illness in the history of the family increase the risk of pathology.

Symptoms of a benign brain tumor

Benign tumors arise from brain tissue and spread within the boundaries of these tissues, without metastasis. Symptoms can depend on the area of localization of the neoplasm and its size.

The common signs that indicate the need to be examined by neurologist (initially) include the following symptoms should be noted:

·        sudden dizziness;

·        loss of motor coordination;

·        blurred vision,  problems with smell or hearing;

·        frequent nausea and vomiting;

·        memory impairment;

·        excessive emotionality, mood swings;

·        severe headache attacks;

·        outbreaks of aggression or progressive apathy;

·        changing behavior;

·        decreased intellectual functions.

Modern diagnostic methods used to determine the type of benign brain tumor include electroencephalography, MRI, CT, PET, X-ray, laboratory tests, stereotactic biopsy.

It should be emphasized that similar symptoms can be observed in the case of malignant tumors as well, but they quickly grow, become more intense and prolonged. Modern diagnostics allows establishing the localization, morphological type, and size of the tumor, which is very important for the selection of the appropriate treatment methods.

Threats of a benign brain tumor

Despite the absence of a direct threat to life, benign tumors can lead to very serious health consequences, for example, swelling of the brain or the development of inflammatory processes, paralysis, strokes, loss of memory, vision or hearing.

Therefore, it is very important to take a course of treatment using the very latest medical technology.

Depending on the type of cells from which the neoplasm is formed, there are distinguished the following types of tumors:

• meningioma (formed from the hard shells and tissue of the spinal cord);
• hemangioblastoma (formed from vascular tissue);
• oligodendroglioma (formed as cysts in the white matter of the brain);
• astrocytoma (consists of cells that feed neurons);
• pituitary adenoma (formed from glandular cells);
• schwannoma (formed from auditory nerve cells);
• glioma (formed from brain stem cells);
• ependymoma (localized in the ventricles of the brain, can often degenerate into a malignant tumor).

These types of tumors differ in the rate of progression and severity of the consequences, therefore there are no universal methods of treatment. Neurosurgeons, therapists, and neuroscientists develop a plan of removal of the tumor to reduce the risks of possible complications.

Treatment methods

Surgery is a radical way of getting rid of a tumor, radiation therapy is used to get rid of residual tumor cells. Chemotherapy cannot be prescribed.

The size and location of the tumor determine the selection of the surgical technique. If there are clear boundaries, the pathological center can be removed completely. If adjacent vital areas are affected, only partial excision is possible.

Neurosurgery offers the following methods:

● traditional method (scalpel)

● laser excision

● ultrasound exposure

● radio knife (Gamma Knife, CyberKnife)

The operation is performed under general or local anesthesia. In the postoperative period, the patient has been prescribed anesthetics, hormonal and sedative drugs. After successful treatment, all the symptoms disappear, the person returns to his usual lifestyle. Recurrences can be recorded rarely.

Benefits of treatment abroad

The treatment of Benign Brain Tumor provides an individual, integrated approach based on the conclusions of reputable diagnosticians. In Germany, Switzerland, Israel, the United States, the cases of postoperative complications are very rare, since all the actions of surgeons are thought out very carefully, and the use of the cutting-edge equipment minimizes the risks of the “human factor”.

If you have the opportunity to receive medical services in a foreign clinic, use the booking health service to get information and practical assistance in the organization of treatment. The service will select the best hospitals and medical centers, which specialize in the operations on the profile of interest in different countries.

You can also choose a list of other services, guided by personal criteria, and get reliable information about the cost of treatment. The experienced experts will help to prevent errors in the preparation of documents and suggest how to act in any particular situation.