Different Brain Tumor Type

What Are the Different Brain Tumor Types?

By Nick G Johansen

You may have heard of cancer but have no idea as to what are the different types of brain cancer. A tumor is very serious and dangerous to life. This type of cancer is essentially intracranial or inside the cranium. It is a solid neoplasm which is an abnormal growth of cells that is within the central spinal cord or within the brain.

Types of tumors are abnormal and sporadic cell division within the brain itself. They also affect the pituitary gland, the skull, the lymphatic tissue, the cranial nerves or the pineal gland. Brain cancer are commonly spread from cancerous cells in the body of a person suffering from cancer which are called as metastatic tumors.

Different types of brain cancer

There are two essential brain cancer types that can be treated; these are benign and malignant types. Some types of cancer begin in the brain and are called as primary tumors and those that are metastatic tumors are a result of some cancerous or disease causing cells spread from other parts of the body to the brain. brain cancer types vary even in the symptoms, some tumors are detected with visible symptoms while other show up only in an imaging scan or an autopsy.

Glioma brain cancer: The glial cells are the place from where this tumor originates in the brain or spine.

Meningioma brain cancer: Arising from meninges or the membranes encompassing the central nervous system, this brain cancer comes out in diverse forms. It is one of the most common primary tumors affecting individuals.

Pituitary adenoma brain cancer: Arising from the pituitary gland which is one of the significant parts of the cranium of the brain, this type of cancer can range from the smallest to as large at 10 mm in size. They are often detected only through brain scans or autopsies.

Nerve sheath brain cancer: Originating in the nervous system, this tumor is one of those types of cancer that are primarily made up of myelin around the nerves of the nervous system.

How can one treat brain tumor?

A neurosurgeon is often a person who can treat all brain tumor types. The most common treatment for tumors is to completely remove it in case it does not affect any immediate or serious part of the brain through surgery. Other treatments include radiation therapy where the brain tumor is treated with radiation waves. This will ensure that the brain tumor reduces in size or the cells within the tumor die in order to prevent the spread of the tumor. Gamma knife treatment is also a very effective way of treating all brain tumor types as the gamma knife machine cuts the brain tumor cells by isolating gamma waves on the brain tumor.

Chemotherapy is also a commonly used treatment for treating all brain tumor types.

Successfully recoveries from all brain tumor types are present all over the world, as neurosurgeons have managed to treat them in order to give people a second life with the most advanced technologies at hand.

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Types, Symptoms and Treatments

Colorectal Cancer - Types, Symptoms and Treatments

Cancer that begins in the colon is called colon cancer, and the cancer that begins in the rectum is called rectal cancer. Cancers affecting either of these organs also may be called colorectal cancer. It is a disease which malignant (cancer) cells first form in the tissues of the colon. Colorectal cancer occurs in rectum or the large intestine. This type of cancer occurs when abnormal tissues grow on the inner walls of the colon and rectum. These abnormal tissues commonly present in the form of polyps. Polyps grow as a projection of tissue away from the colon wall, remaining connected to the colon wall of a thin stalk. Their shape is similar that of a mushroom. Polyps are fairly common, especially in older people. The vast majority of polyps are not cancerous. However, some polyps will eventually become cancerous. Unchecked, a cancerous polyp gives rise to a tumor, which grows in size until it penetrates to bowel wall and involves adjacent organs and lymph nodes through the process known as metastasis.

Types

In general, colorectal cancers tend to be slow growing, gradually enlarging and eventually penetrating the bowel wall. When they do spread, it is usually through invasion of nearby lymph nodes. On the right side of the colon near the cecum, cancers usually grow into the space within the colon. They can become large enough to be painful and are likely to cause bleeding. In these cases anemia from chronic blood loss is often the first sign and is why a stool test for occult, or hidden, blood is important.

Most polyps and cancers appear on the left side of the colon. In the left or descending colon, where the channel is narrow, the cancer usually grows around the colon wall and encircles it. Left-sided cancer typically constricts the bowel channel, causing partial blockage.

Symptoms

Symptoms may include:

• Diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, fatigue.
• Going to the toilet more often.
• A feeling that the bowel does not empty properly after a bowel movement.
• Pain and bloating in the abdomen.
• Blood in stools.
• Inexplicable weight loss.
• A lump in the tummy.
• Unexplained iron deficiency in men, or in women after the menopause.

Causes

• Alcohol.
• Polyps.
• Diabetes.
• Age and gender.
• High cholesterol diet.
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
• Genetics.
• Lack of exercise.
• Smoking.
• Obesity.
• Numerous adenomatous polyps develop in the colon, ultimately leading to cancer.
• A family history of this cancer.
• Drug effects.

Diagnosis

A person with colorectal cancer will be diagnosed in following ways:

• It is found on a routine screening test.
• Symptoms lead a person to the doctor, and tests to find the cause of the symptoms reveal colorectal cancer.

Treatments

Treatments may include following options, alone or in combination:

• Surgery - Surgical options include:

1. Bowel resection: This operation involves cutting into the abdomen to reach the area of the colon or rectum that is affected by the cancer. The surgeon cuts out the cancer as well as the parts of the colon or rectum that are next to it. Then the two healthy ends of the colon or rectum are sewn back together.

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