A doctor told about the symptoms of a brain tumor

Alexander Umnov, a lecturer at the Department of Fundamental Medical Disciplines of the Medical Faculty of the State University of Enlightenment, a surgeon, told Izvestia on December 2 about what increases the risk of a brain tumor.

"A brain tumor is a neoplasm in the tissues of the brain and its membranes. The brain is located inside the skull, which provides it with protection. At the same time, due to the strength and non-displacement of the bones, any pathology of the brain causes compression of its tissues and can lead to disruption of the work of its departments. The worst is the disruption of the vasomotor and respiratory centers, which leads to death," - said the doctor.

He specified that even benign tumors are dangerous. They do not grow into the tissues, but squeeze them. Malignant tumors and sprout into the tissues, and squeeze them from the outside. Therefore, all brain neoplasms require observation and prompt treatment, Umnov emphasized.

"The manifestations of the disease will depend on the type and location of the neoplasm. These can be severe headaches, convulsions, numbness, hearing loss, tinnitus, impaired skin sensitivity in various parts of the body, vomiting. At the same time, intense headaches are sometimes not controlled by non-narcotic analgesics," said the surgeon.

There may also be memory lapses, unsteady gait, fatigue much faster than usual, mental abnormalities: hallucinations, mania, depression, aggression, violation of the perception of self in space.

"There are also unique symptoms. For example, optic nerve damage leads to blindness. The prevertebral-cochlear nerve - to deafness and violation of the orientation of the body in space. Tumor of the frontal lobe - to impaired memory, speech formation and mental abnormalities. When the tumor is localized in the brain stem, paralysis and swallowing disorders often occur," he added.

According to him, the clinical symptoms of a brain tumor are scarce and often nonspecific, that is, they indicate the disease, but not its cause, so a mandatory follow-up examination (CT, MRI) is required to diagnose the tumor, its size, localization and assessment of operability.

In mid-October, Olesya Startseva, a plastic surgeon and professor at the Department of Oncology, Radiotherapy and Reconstructive Surgery of Sechenov University, told Izvestia that a positive trend in recent years is the growth of early detection of breast cancer. At the same time, she noted that prevention of any cancer should start at an early age.