The first thing we need to know about brain tumors is that not all of them are considered cancer because not all of them are invasive and aggressive. However, since the brain is such an important and sensitive organ, they all create severe problems that usually become worse over time and may turn into a severe health condition. Certain brain tumors are more common in children, and it is one of the most common types of tumor in the pediatric population.
These tumors may originate from the brain tissue, but in other cases, they are a distant metastasis from cancer tumors in other organs. The former is the most common way brain tumors grow in the central nervous system, and it may be divided into various subtypes depending on the type of cell that is turning into a tumor. All of them display different signs and symptoms depending on the region of the brain that is being affected, and the symptoms would typically relate to the function of the brain that is being compromised. However, there are other symptoms that are nonspecific such as headache, confusion, and nausea.
The most important signs and symptoms doctors take into consideration to detect and diagnose brain tumors are the following:
1. Headache
It is considered a nonspecific manifestation of brain tumors, which means that it is not necessarily related to a brain tumor, and if it is, it won’t likely give any clues as to where it is located. However, it is one of the most common problems, and often the first symptom patients notice as disturbing or abnormal, which is why they come to the emergency room or the private practice.
A headache caused by a brain tumor is often very similar to headaches associated with high blood pressure, and patients may think they have a blood pressure disturbance at first. Patients with headache problems may start feeling their symptoms are changing; the pattern of the headache is migrating from one place to another or changing its timing.
In some cases, the location of the headache might reflect the possible place where tumors are located. At least, when headache is located on one side, the tumor is often located on this side, but not necessarily in the same spot where headache is felt.
Special attention should be given when patients who do not complain from headache have a new onset of these symptoms after middle age. In older patients, new and disturbing patterns of headache should also be attended right away by a doctor. In infants and children, it is a very common symptom, and since this population does not usually suffer from migraines, tension, headaches, and other sources of pain, it should be assessed immediately. In most cases, it is a late sign of the disease, and it is associated with many other symptoms, as we will list further in this article.
2. Speech problems
Ataxia might be a cause of speech problems, but even if the motor function is maintained, patients with brain tumors may have yet other causes of communication difficulty.
Certain tumors located in the temporal lobe may cause severe problems to produce language, even if patients have no cognitive problems at all. This is called dysphasia, and it is manifested as a difficulty to express words, pronounce certain words, or differentiate certain terms.
3. Ataxia
It is a very wide term that includes loss of coordination in the muscles of the body or a given region of the body. This loss of coordination may result in difficulty to grasp, walk, speak, and even move our eyes. It is more likely caused by an insult to the cerebellum, the center of the brain that brings together muscle function to create coordinate and precise movements. This center is important for equilibrium and posture, which is why ataxia is often accompanied with gait disturbances.
4. Confusion
It is a common neurologic problem that arises when there’s a disturbance in the normal function of the brain. Thus, it is considered a nonspecific manifestation of brain tumors, and it does not provide much clue as to where it is located.
There are different degrees of confusion, and patients may have mild difficulty recalling or coordinating their thoughts or a severe neurological problem with loss of consciousness and other signs and symptoms. Depending on the site of the lesion and the extent of the tumor, one or the other might appear. In any case, it is important to detect these symptoms and report them as soon as possible. They may not be caused by a brain tumor, and chances are they are not if confusion is the only visible symptom of an alteration. However, you might need the opinion of a skilled professional to figure out what’s wrong and treat your condition or that of your relative as soon as possible.
5. Nausea and vomiting
These symptoms are very common in patients with brain tumors, but they are not necessarily a symptom associated with the central nervous system. It is more of a gastrointestinal manifestation resulting from an alteration in the central nervous system, which is why it is considered a nonspecific symptom in patients with brain tumors. It does not provide additional data to locate the tumor or predict how aggressive it is.
Nausea and vomiting is often an accompanying symptom for the ones listed in this article, and it is considered a secondary symptom to detect brain tumors. However, it is important to report nausea and vomiting and detail when and how it happens, and whether or not there are any triggers to it.
6. Muscle weakness
There’s an area in the brain called precentral gyrus, which is in charge of controlling the movement of the whole body. It is found in the frontal lobe, and any tumor affecting this area would also cause muscle weakness in a given part of the body and even paralysis of this area. In the precentral gyrus, there is a depiction of the whole body, and each lobe is in charge of controlling the movements of the opposite side of the body. Thus, a brain tumor located on the left side of the brain would affect muscles located in the right portion of the body.
7. Sensory disturbances
There are many sensory disturbances associated with brain tumors, and they depend on the site of the tumor and its growth. It may cause visual changes which will be addressed further and even changes in the perception of smell when they are located in the frontal lobe. Patients may also have a gradual loss of perception in one side or section of the body when the tumor is located in the postcentral gyrus or near this area. In the postcentral gyrus, our brain receives and interprets the sensation of pressure and touch, and we will no longer have these sensory perceptions when a tumor is compressing the area.
8. Gait disturbances
In patients with ataxia and patients with motor problems or paralysis, there’s an abnormal gait a doctor can diagnose just by looking at the patient move around in their office. Studying these gait disturbances is an important part of the diagnosis because it gives doctors an initial suspicion to diagnose brain tumors. Gait disturbances might result from structural problems as well, which is why it is important to talk to your doctor in order to rule out any other possibility first.
9. Seizures
Many different alterations in the normal function of the brain may trigger seizures. Even hypoglycemia might cause these episodes, especially in susceptible populations. These are usually one of the first signs of brain tumors, and sometimes they are focal seizures that do not fall into the category of generalized seizures we often see depicted as jerking movements and loss of consciousness. Seizures are common in a type of brain tumor called supratentorial meningioma, and certain patients experience focal seizures starting in one extremity of the body and then spreading to the rest of the body, which may be caused by a lesion in the brain cortex.
10. Visual changes
They are considered a classic sign of tumors located in the sella turcica, a region of the brain located right in the center of the skull where the nerve impulses coming from the eyes intercept and cross pathways in their way to the occipital lobe. However, loss of vision might be caused by a tumor in the occipital lobe as well, motor problems in the eye muscles may result from tumors located in the cerebellum and the brainstem, and even an increase in intracranial pressure may give out visual symptoms, especially in children.
Papilledema, which is swelling in the optic disk, is one of the leading signs of intracranial pressure found in children and adults. It is very common in younger patients and only detected with specialized tools doctors have in their office. Thus, even if visual changes seem unimportant, talk to your doctor, and diagnose them as soon as possible. You or your child might only need a pair of glasses, but prevention is far better than treating a late-stage condition that could have been resolved a long time ago.
11. Secretion of the breasts
We mentioned tumors in the sella turcica as one of the causes of visual problems. These are commonly pituitary adenomas and may be further divided into two types: hypersecretory or nonfunctional. The latter would only give out visual problems, but a hypersecretory pituitary adenoma would start synthesizing and releasing to the bloodstream a hormone called prolactin, which causes women to have severe menstruation problems and secretion of their breasts even if they are not pregnant or have not given birth.
Higher secretion of prolactin with breast secretion is not necessarily a sign of brain tumors, so if you have experienced this symptom do not conclude anything just yet and go to your doctor for a proper examination of your case.
12. Fatigue
Patients with brain cancer would start experiencing fatigue sooner or later. Not all brain tumors are brain cancer, but when they are one of the most common manifestations is weight loss, fatigue, lethargy, and loss of appetite. This is a wasting syndrome found in brain cancer as well as many other severe health problems. Different from feeling tired, people with cancer are exhausted, and their drowsiness is not often improved after a good night’s rest.
The tumor is taking a lot of the energy required for living and moving, and increasing their energy consumption exponentially, and that’s why they start having energy problems. Even making their bed might become a challenge, and they have difficulty concentrating as well.
13. Personality changes
Not all patients with brain tumors undergo personality changes. They are more likely in patients with brain tumors located in the frontal lobe because this area is in charge of reasoning, morality, differentiating good and bad behaviors, and creating restraints to avoid unaccepted behavior. Thus, these patients may start losing their social restraints and inhibitions.
In many cases, they start displaying emotional problems such as anxiety and depression, and they may also undergo severe behavioral changes with self-destructive patterns. We should differentiate these symptoms from those experiences in diagnosed cancer patients who undergo many different emotional challenges and difficulties.
14. Cognitive changes
Patients with brain tumors often experience cognitive changes as well. They may have a problem recalling data or storing new memories. These problems are often found in patients with a tumor located in the frontal lobe or the temporal lobe and may be as mild as forgetting unimportant things or as severe as to cause retrograde amnesia, which is a complete loss of memories stored in the brain for years, even before the tumor started growing.
- Diagnosing and treating brain tumors is a challenge, and even if not all of them can be considered cancer, the majority would need a surgical procedure to remove them. Thus, this is not a health problem you would likely solve with home measures and adopting the approach of waiting and seeing. If you’re experiencing disturbing symptoms that do not feel normal, talk to your doctor right away and do not delay your diagnosis.