brain cancer

Brain cancer is a disease of the brain where cancer cells (malignant) grow in the brain tissue. Cancer cells grow to form a mass of cancer tissue (,tumor) that interferes with brain tissue functions such as muscle control, sensation, memory, and other normal body functions. Tumors composed of cancer cells are called malignant tumors, and those composed of noncancerous cells are called benign tumors. Cancer cells that develop from brain tissue are called primary brain tumors. Statistics suggest that brain cancer is not rare and is likely to develop in about 20,000 people per year.

What is metastatic brain cancer?

Cancer cells that develop in a body organ such as the lung (primary cancer tissue type) can go to other body organs such as the brain. Tumors formed by such cancer cells that spread (metastasize) to other organs are called metastatic tumors. Metastatic brain cancer is a mass of cells (tumor) that originated in another body organ and has spread into the brain tissue. Metastatic tumors in the brain are more common than primary brain tumors.

What causes brain cancer?

Primary brain tumors arise from many types of brain tissue (for example, glial cells, astrocytes, and other brain cell types). Metastatic brain cancer is caused by the spread of cancer cells from a body organ to the brain. However, the causes for the change from normal cells to cancer cells in both metastatic and primary brain tumors are not fully understood. Data gathered by research scientists show that people with certain risk factors (situations or things associated with people that increase the probability of developing problems) are more likely to develop brain cancer. Individuals with risk factors such as having a job in an oil refinery, as a chemist, embalmer, or rubber-industry worker show higher rates of brain cancer. Some families have several members with brain cancer, but heredity as a cause for brain tumors has not been proven. Other risk factors such as smoking, radiation exposure, and viral infection (HIV) have been suggested but not proven to cause brain cancer. There is no good evidence that brain cancer is contagious, caused by head trauma, or caused by cell phone use.

What are the symptoms of brain cancer?

The most common symptoms of brain cancer are weakness, difficulty walking, seizures, and headaches. Other common symptoms are nausea, vomiting, blurry vision, or a change in a person’s alertness, mental capacity, memory, speech, or personality. These symptoms can also occur in people that do not have brain cancer, and none of these symptoms alone or in combination can predict that a person has brain cancer. A few brain cancers produce few or no symptoms.

What tests are used to diagnose brain cancer?

The initial test is an interview and physical examination of the person by a competent health-care provider. The results of this interaction will determine if other specific tests need to be done.

The most frequently used test to detect brain cancer is a CAT scan (computed automated tomography or CT). This test resembles a series of x-rays and is not painful, although sometimes a dye needs to be injected into the vein for better pictures of some internal brain structures. Another test that is gaining popularity because of its high sensitivity for detecting anatomic changes in the brain is MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). This test also resembles a series of x-rays and shows the brain structures in detail better than CT. MRI is not as widely available as CT scanning. If the tests show evidence (tumors or abnormalities in the brain tissue) of brain cancer, then other doctors such as neurosurgeons and neurologists that specialize in treating brain ailments will be consulted to help determine what should be done to treat the patient. Other tests (white blood cell counts, electrolytes, etc.) are likely to be ordered by the health-care giver to help determine the patient’s state of health or to detect other health problems.

treatment.

What is the treatment for brain cancer?

A treatment plan is individualized for each brain cancer patient. The treatment plan is constructed by the doctors who specialize in brain cancer, and treatments vary widely depending on the cancer type, brain location, tumor size, patient age, and patient’s general health status. A major part of the plan is also determined by the patient’s wishes. Patients should discuss treatment options with their health-care providers.

Surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy are the major treatment categories for most brain cancers. Individual treatment plans often include a combination of these treatments. Surgical therapy attempts to remove the tumor by cutting it away from normal brain tissue. Radiation therapy attempts to destroy tumor cells by using high energy radiation focused onto the tumor. Chemotherapy attempts to destroy tumor cells using chemicals (drugs) that are designed to destroy specific types of cancer cells. All treatments attempt to spare normal brain cells.

Other treatments that may be part of some treatment plans may include hyperthermia (heat treatments), immunotherapy (immune cells directed to kill certain cancer cell types), or steroids to reduce inflammation and brain swelling. Clinical trials (treatment plans designed by scientists to try new chemicals or methods on patients) can be another way for patients to obtain treatment specifically for their cancer cell type.

The best treatment for brain cancer is designed by the team of cancer specialists in conjunction with the wishes of the patient.

What are the side effects of brain cancer treatment?

Side effects of brain cancer treatment vary with the treatment plan and the patient. Most treatment plans try to keep all side effects to a minimum. For some patients, the side effects of brain cancer treatment can be severe. Treatment plans should include a discussion of potential side effects and the likelihood of them developing, so the patient and their caregivers (family, friends) can make appropriate treatment decisions in conjunction with their medical team. Also, if side effects develop, the patient has some knowledge of what to do about them such as when to take certain medicines or when to call their doctor to report health changes.

Surgical side effects include an increase in current symptoms, damage to normal brain tissue, brain swelling, and seizures. Other changes in brain functions such as muscle weakness, mental changes, and decreases in any brain-controlled function can occur. Combinations of these side effects may happen. The side effects are most noticeable shortly after surgery but frequently decline with time. Occasionally, the side effects do not decline.

Chemotherapy usually affects (kills) rapidly growing cancer cells but also can affect normal tissue. Chemotherapy is usually given intravenously so the drugs can reach most body organs. Common side effects of chemotherapy are nausea, vomiting, hair loss, and loss of energy. The immune system is often is depressed by chemotherapy, which results in a high susceptibility to infections. Other systems, such as the kidneys and the reproductive organs, may also be damaged by chemotherapy. Most of the side effects decline over time, but some may not.

Radiation therapy has most of the same side effects as chemotherapy. Most radiation therapy is focused onto the brain cancer tissue, so some systems do not receive direct radiation (immune system, kidneys, and others). The effects on systems not receiving the direct radiation are usually not as severe as those seen with chemotherapy. However, hair and skin are usually affected, resulting in hair loss (sometimes permanently) and reddish and darkened skin that needs protection from the sun.
What is the prognosis (outcome) of treated brain cancer?

Survival of treated brain cancer varies with the cancer type, location, and overall age and general health of the patient. In general, most treatment plans seldom result in a cure. Survival greater that five years, which is considered to be long-term survival, is less than 10% no matter what treatment plan is used.

So, why use any treatment plan? Without treatment, brain cancers are usually aggressive and result in death within a short time span. Treatment plans can prolong survival and can improve the patient’s quality of life for some time. Again, the patient and caregivers should discuss their prognosis when deciding on treatment plans.

Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a deadly cancer that has recently become a concern amongst many people as the dangers of asbestos and its wide-spread use before the late 1970’s become more well-known.

Mesothelioma is a Form of Cancer Caused by Exposure to Asbestos

The first thing to realize about Mesothelioma is that it is a malignant cancer caused usually by exposure to asbestos or asbestos-containing materials. The symptoms of Mesothelioma often do not show up until years after the asbestos exposure.

Mesothelioma is a Malignant Cancer that Affects the Heart, Lungs and Stomach

Mesothelioma is a malignant cancer that affects the linings of the heart, lungs and stomach. The symptoms experienced will therefore differ depending on the organ affected. Peritoneal Mesothelioma (Mesothelioma of the stomach) leads to loss of appetite, pain in the abdomen and problems with bowel functioning. Pleural Mesothelioma on the other hand affects the lungs and chest pain, difficulty breathing, and coughing up blood. All Mesothelioma is malignant and will often lead to death.

treatment

New approaches to treat malignant mesothelioma are currently being tested. They often combine traditional treatments or include something entirely new. They include:

• Angiogenesis and Anti-angiogenesis Drugs Although progress has been made in the early detection of cancer, and in improved treatment options once cancer is diagnosed, there are still many cancers, including mesothelioma, which can not be cured and rfobiotecin difficult to treat effectively. In recent years, researchers have learned a great deal about how cancer cells differ from normal cells and, in an effort to find drugs without the potentially severe side effects of chemotherapy, have now discovered drugs which target the tumor itself while sparing the body’s normal cells. One such group are the anti-angiogenesis drugs. Learn more about anti-angiogenesis agents in the treatment of mesothelioma.
  
• Immunotherapy, sometimes called biological therapy, uses the body’s own immune system to protect itself against disease. Researchers have found that the immune system may be able to recognize the difference between healthy cells and cancer cells, and eliminate those that become cancerous. Immunotherapy is designed to repair, stimulate, or enhance the immune system’s natural anticancer function.Substances used in immunotherapy, called biological response modifiers (BRMs) alter the interaction between the body’s immune defenses and cancer, thereby improving the body’s ability to fight disease. Some BRMs, such as cytokines and antibodies, occur naturally in the body, however, it is now possible to make BRMs in the laboratory that can imitate or influence natural immune response agents. These BRMs may:
  
  • Enhance the immune system to fight cancer cell growth.
  • Eliminate, regulate, or suppress body responses that permit cancer growth.
  • Make cancer cells more susceptible to destruction by the immune system.
  • Alter cancer cell’s growth patterns to behave like normal cells.
  • Block or reverse the process that changes a normal cell into a cancer cell.
  • Prevent a cancer cell from spreading to other sites.

  
  Many BRMs are currently being used in cancer treatment, including interferons, interleukins, tumor necrosis factor, colony-stimulating factors, monoclonal antibodies, and cancer vaccines. More on immunotherapy for mesothelioma.

• Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a type of cancer treatment based on the premise that single-celled organisms, if first treated with certain photosensitive drugs, will die when exposed to light at a particular frequency. PDT destroys cancerous cells by using this fixed frequency light to activate photosensitizing drugs which have accumulated in body tissues.In PDT, a photosensitizing drug is administered intravenously. Within a specific time frame (usually a matter of days), the drug selectively concentrates in diseased cells, while rapidly being eliminated from normal cells. The treated cancer cells are then exposed to a laser light chosen for its ability to activate the photosensitizing agent. This laser light is delivered to the cancer site, (in the case of mesothelioma, the pleura), through a fiberoptic device that allows the laser light to be manipulated by the physician. As the agent in the treated cells absorbs the light, an active form of oxygen destroys the surrounding cancer cells. The light exposure must be carefully timed, so that it occurs when most of the photosensitizing drug has left the healthy cells, but is still present in cancerous ones.The major side effect of PDT is skin sensitivity. Patients undergoing this type of therapy are usually advised to avoid direct and even indirect sunlight for at least six weeks. Other side effects may include nausea, vomiting, a metallic taste in the mouth, and eye sensitivity to light. These symptoms may sometimes come as a result of the injection of the photosensitizing agent.

• Gene therapy is an approach to treating potentially fatal or disabling diseases by modifying the expression of an individual’s genes toward a therapeutic goal. The premise of gene therapy is based on correcting disease at the DNA level and compensating for the abnormal genes. Replacement gene therapy replaces a mutated or missing gene, most often a tumor suppressor gene, with a normal copy of that gene which serves to keep cell growth and division under control. The p53 gene, the most common gene mutated in cancer has become a prime target for gene replacement, and has met with some success in inhibiting cell growth, inhibiting angiogenesis (the development of a tumor’s blood supply), and inducing apoptosis (cell death). Knockout gene therapy targets the products of oncogenes (a gene that can induce tumor formation) in an effort to render them inactive and reduce cell growth.With constantly expanding knowledge of the genes associated with cancer, their functions, and the delivery systems used in administering these genes, gene therapy has a promising future.

• Complementary and alternative medicine covers a wide range of healing philosophies that conventional medicine does not commonly accept or make available to its patients. Some of these practices include the use of acupuncture, herbs, homeopathy, therapeutic massage, and Far Eastern medicine to treat health conditions.These therapies may be used alone as an alternative to conventional medicine, or in addition to conventional medicine, in which case they are referred to as complementary. Many are considered holistic, meaning their focus is to treat the whole patient – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. These treatments are not widely taught as a part of the medical curriculum, are not generally used in hospitals, and, for the most part, are not covered under insurance policies.Many cancer patients try various complementary and/or alternative medicine techniques during the course of their treatment, and although they may not work for everyone, some patients benefit by managing their symptoms or side effects. One important caveat, is to discuss any complementary or alternative treatments you may be considering with your doctor to be sure nothing interferes with your conventional care. For instance, dietary supplements such as herbs or vitamins may be “natural”, but not necessarily “safe”. They may lessen the effectiveness of certain anticancer drugs, or when taken with other drugs or in large doses, may actually cause harm. Since supplements of this nature are not governed by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), and a prescription is not necessary to purchase, it is up to the consumer to make informed and conscientious decisions regarding their use.

  Your personal physician may be able to advise you about the use of complementary and alternative treatments and therapies, and how they relate to mesothelioma. The combinaton of complementary and conventional therapies is sometimes referred to as

  integrative medicine.

• Unconventional methods of cancer treatment make claims that can not be scientifically substantiated. They commonly claim to be effective against cancers that are considered incurable, and tout treatments with relatively few, if any, side effects.The use of these unconventional methods may result in the loss of valuable time and the opportunity to receive potentially effective therapy. It is always important to rfobiotecin in the care of a qualified physician who uses accepted methods of treatment or who is participating in scientifically designed investigational therapies.

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