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Brain Cancer Research Paper

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Symptoms

Although some types of brain cancer do not show any signs or symptoms, the ones that do depend on many factors such as the type itself, size, location, and maybe sometimes age, health history, which part is involved, and which functional system is affected. Because of the numerous factors, symptoms may vary among patients. The most frequent symptoms are headaches, seizures, and weakness and/or numbness. Vision changes as well as loss of motor skills are also signs of a growing brain cancer, depending on the location of the tumour. If it is near the optical nerve, vision may be blurred or the patient may develop double-vision. The tumour may also cause speech problems and cognitive problems such as memory problems, poor concentration, …show more content…

Exposure to radiation in the head, especially at a young age, also the increase the risks of gaining brain cancer. This can occur if an individual, especially a child, had radiation therapy. Although they are not exactly risk factors, an individual's gender and age may affect the risks of obtaining cancer. Different types of brain tumours occur more likely in females than males, and most tumour types occur mostly in patients that are ages 65 and older. Of course, brain cancer may be gained if the cancer spreads from another part of the body and goes up toward the brain. For example, a patient with lung cancer may develop a tumour in the brain if it …show more content…

In most cases, the following are used in brain cancer treatment:

Surgery – If the tumour is small and far from sensitive areas of the brain, surgery may be performed to remove it fully, although even removing a small portion helps in calming the symptoms. Yet, this method still risks infection, bleeding, and affects other areas of the brain. For example, if the tumour is near the optical nerve, vision loss may occur.

Radiation – Radiation uses high-energy beams (e.g. protons and x-rays) to kill the tumour cells. This method may either use an external beam radiation, which is radiation outside the body, or brachytherapy, which is when the radiation is placed inside the body near the tumour. A whole-beam radiation may be used if the cancer spread from other parts of the body toward the brain. Side effects depend on the type and dose, and they include fatigue, headaches, and scalp irritation.

Chemotherapy – This method uses anti-cancer drugs that are usually inserted into the bloodstream or taken into the mouth. It is usually used with the other above methods, but can be taken alone in advanced tumours or if the tumour comes back after

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