Posts Tagged ‘Cancer’

How do Brain cancers grow over a period of time?

Cancer is a collection of many related diseases that are all characterized by one common feature. Some of these tumors do not spread beyond their point of origin. Others are capable of spreading large distances, often to other organs and tissues. This process is called “metastasis”, and tumors which can metastasize are called “cancers”.

What is Brain Tumor?
Brain tumors can either originate from within the brain (“primary brain tumors”). From cancer cells that have metastasized from other organs or tissues (“secondary brain tumors”). Primary brain tumors can be derived from the over twenty different cell types that make up the brain and its linings.

What are Primary Brain Tumor?
Primary tumors can be cancerous (malignant) or benign. These tumours start in the brain and do not spread. They rarely spread beyond the central nervous system. The tumor is still taking up space in the skull. They can cause serious complications and symptoms.

Primary Brain Tumor Types in Adults

- Gliomas
Tumors derived from astrocytes:
- Anaplastic astrocytoma (“grade III”)
- Glioblastoma multiforme
Tumors derived from oligodendrocytes:
- Oligodendrocytes
- Oligodendrogliomas
Tumors derived from ependymal cells:
- Ependymomas
- Anaplastic ependymomas
Meningiomas
- Consequences of intracranial hypertension.
- Dysfunction Irritation.

What are Secondary Brain Tumor?
- These tumours are often called metastatic tumors.
- They are the result of cancer cells originating from another part of the body.
- They are spread to the brain.
- Secondary brain tumors often indicate advanced stages of disease.
- Both cancerous primary and secondary tumors are life threatening.
- These types of tumors are usually very aggressive.
- Secondary tumors means a cancerous neoplasm that has developed in another organ elsewhere in the body
- These cancer cells have leaked from that primary tumor and then entered the lymphatic system and blood vessels.
- They then circulate through the bloodstream.
- They are then deposited in the brain.
- These cells continue growing and dividing.
- They become another invasive neoplasm of the primary cancer’s tissue.
- Secondary tumors of the brain are very common in the terminal phases of patients.

Other Types of Growth
1. Low-grade vs. high-grade:
- Low-grade tumors are slow-growing.
- High-grade tumors are fast-growing and aggressive.
- High-grade tumors can invade nearby tissue or spread elsewhere in the body.
- They are also more likely to recur after treatment.
- They are generally associated with a worse outlook.

2. Localized vs. Invasive:
- Localized tumor is confined to one area.
- It is generally easier to remove.
- It’s in an accessible part of the brain.
- An invasive tumor has spread to surrounding areas.
- It is more difficult or impossible to remove completely.

Signals and Causes
Signal Number 1:
- First headache complaint from person over 50 years old.
Possible Cause:
- Brain tumor, arteriïtis temporalis.

Signal Number 2:
- First migraine attack in person over 40 years old.
Possible Cause:
- Brain tumor.

Signal Number 3:
- Headache in person under 6 years old.
Possible Cause:
- Brain tumor, hydrocephalus.

Signal Number 4:
- Person over 50 years old with pain at temples.
Possible Cause:
- Arteriïtis temporalis

Signal Number 5:
- Pregnancy with unknown headache.
Possible Cause:
- Pre-eclampsia.

Signal Number 6:
- Increased headaches after trauma.
Possible Cause:
- Sub/Epidural hematoma.

Signal Number 7:
- Severe headaches and very high blood pressure.
Possible Cause:
- Malignant hypertension.

Signal Number 8:
- Acute severe headache.
Possible Cause:
- Meningitis, CVA (Cerebrovascular accident or stroke), subarachnoidal hemorrhage.

Signal Number 9:
- Headache and fever (with reduced consciousness).
Possible Cause:
- Meningitis.

Signal Number 10:
- Stiffness of the neck/neurological dysfunction.
Possible Cause:
- Meningitis, brain tumor.

Signal Number 11:
- Headache with signs of elevated intracranial pressure.
Possible Cause:
- Brain tumor.

Signal Number 12:
- Focal neurological dysfunction.
Possible Cause:
- Brain tumor.

Signal Number 13:
- Early morning vomiting or vomiting unrelated to headache or other illness.
Possible Cause:
- Brain tumor.

Signal Number 14:
- Behavioral changes or rapid decline in school results.
Possible Cause:
- Brain tumor.

| More

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How to treat Bone cancer by Cryosurgery?

Bone Cancer is the cancer that begins in the bone. Primary bone cancer is relatively uncommon with secondary or metastatic cancer. This is cancer that occurs initially in another organ and then spreads to bone tissue.

The most common types of bone cancer includes:
- Osteosarcoma,
- Ewing’s sarcoma,
- Chondrosarcoma,
- Malignant fibrous histiocytoma,
- Fibrosarcoma,
- Chordoma

Diagnosis of bone cancer:
- Check for a complete medical history.
- A description of your symptoms can help.
- A complete physical examination can help find the cause of your symptoms.
- Testing your muscle strength.
- Sensation to touch
- Reflexes
- Certain blood tests
- Plain X-rays
Benign tumors are more likely to have a smooth border while malignant tumors have a ragged border on X-ray images.

- A CT scan
- An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).
- Positron emission tomography (PET) scan.
- An angiogram, which is an x-ray of blood vessels.
- A bone scan.
- Obtain a biopsy sample of the tumor.
- Get examined in the laboratory by a pathologist.
- Determine what kind of tumor it is.

What is the treatment for bone cancer?
The best treatment is based on:
- the type of bone cancer,
- the location of the cancer,
- how aggressive the cancer is,
- whether or not the cancer has invaded surrounding or distant tissues (metastasized).

The main types of treatment for bone cancer:
- Surgery,
- Chemotherapy,
- Radiation therapy
- Cryosurgery
These can be used either individually or combined with each other.

Process of Cryosurgery
- This method is the use of liquid nitrogen to freeze and kill cancer cells.
- This technique can sometimes be used instead of conventional surgery to destroy the tumor.
- The application of liquid nitrogen as a local adjuvant to curettage in the treatment of bone tumors was first introduced three decades ago.
- Cryosurgery was shown to achieve excellent local control.
- It is used for a variety of benign-aggressive and malignant bone tumors.
- Cryosurgery can cause significant morbidity if performed inappropriately.

An effective and safe procedure must follow these consecutive steps:
- Adequate exposure of the tumor cavity.
- Meticulous curettage and burr drilling.
- Soft-tissue mobilization and protection.
- Introduction of LN to the tumor cavity.
- Internal fixation of the cavity after cryotherapy.
- Protection of the operated bone throughout the healing period.

Side effects
- The exposure of normal bone and soft tissues (skin, muscles, nerves, and blood vessels) to the freezing effect of LN can result in significant morbidity.
- Early studies of the use of cryosurgery in the treatment of bone high complication rates, mostly pathological fractures and infections.

How to treat bone cancer by radiotherapy?

Bone Cancer is the cancer that begins in the bone. Primary bone cancer is relatively uncommon with secondary or metastatic cancer. This is cancer that occurs initially in another organ and then spreads to bone tissue.

The most common types of bone cancer includes:
- Osteosarcoma,
- Ewing’s sarcoma,
- Chondrosarcoma,
- Malignant fibrous histiocytoma,
- Fibrosarcoma,
- Chordoma

Diagnosis of bone cancer:
- Check for a complete medical history.
- A description of your symptoms can help.
- A complete physical examination can help find the cause of your symptoms.
- Testing your muscle strength.
- Sensation to touch
- Reflexes
- Certain blood tests
- Plain X-rays
Benign tumors are more likely to have a smooth border while malignant tumors have a ragged border on X-ray images.

- A CT scan
- An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).
- Positron emission tomography (PET) scan.
- An angiogram, which is an x-ray of blood vessels.
- A bone scan.
- Obtain a biopsy sample of the tumor.
- Get examined in the laboratory by a pathologist.
- Determine what kind of tumor it is.

What is the treatment for bone cancer?
The best treatment is based on:
- the type of bone cancer,
- the location of the cancer,
- how aggressive the cancer is,
- whether or not the cancer has invaded surrounding or distant tissues (metastasized).

The main types of treatment for bone cancer:
- Surgery,
- Chemotherapy,
- Radiation therapy
- Cryosurgery
These can be used either individually or combined with each other.

Process of Radiotherapy
- The radiation therapy uses high-energy X-ray aimed at the site of the cancer.
- This is to try to kill the cancer cells.
- This treatment is given in small doses daily over a period of days to months.
- Radiation therapy can be used either before or after a potential surgery.
- It depends on the specific type of cancer.
- These high-energy rays are used to damage cancer cells and stop them from growing and dividing.
- A specialist in radiation therapy is called a radiation oncologist.

Types of Radiation Therapy are:
Radiation therapy is a local treatment. It affects cancer cells only in the treated area.
- Radiation can come from a machine (external radiation).
- It can also come from an implant (a small container of radioactive material) placed directly into or near the tumor (internal radiation).
- Some patients need both kinds of radiation therapy.

External Radiation Therapy
- It is usually given on an outpatient basis in a hospital or clinic 5 days a week for a number of weeks.
- Patients are not radioactive during or after the treatment.

Internal Radiation Therapy
- The patient stays in the hospital for a few days.
- The implant may be temporary or permanent.
- The level of radiation is highest during the hospital stay.
- Once an implant is removed, there is no radioactivity in the body.
- The amount of radiation in a permanent implant goes down to a safe level before the patient leaves.

Other facts
- The most common type of radiation treatment is called external-beam radiation therapy.
- Radiation therapy is most often used for patients with a tumor that cannot be removed by surgery.
- This is also used where patient may have cancer cells remaining after surgery.
- Radiation therapy may be done before surgery to shrink the tumor also.
- Radiation therapy makes it possible to do less extensive surgery, often preserving the arm or leg.
- Radiation therapy may also be used to relieve pain for people with advanced bone cancer.
- For patients with Ewing’s sarcoma, radiation therapy may be combined with chemotherapy and surgery.

Side effects from radiation therapy may include:
- fatigue
- mild skin reactions
- upset stomach
- loose bowel movements
Most side effects go away soon after treatment is finished.