Brain cancer is a brain disease in which cancer cells grow in the brain’s tissues. These cancer cells grow to form a mass of cancer tissues that obstructs brain functions, including memory, sensation, muscle control, and other normal bodily functions. Primary brain tumors are cancer cells that originate from brain tissues. In contrast, metastatic or secondary brain tumors are cancer cells that spread to the brain from other body areas. Brain tumors are treated with several therapies. The brain cancer treatment in India is determined by the tumor’s size and type, its rate of development, its position in the brain, and the patient’s overall health.
What Treatment Options are available?
The options for brain cancer treatment in India are listed below. The cost of brain tumor care, on the other hand, is determined by the form, size, and location of cancer, as well as the patient’s age and health.
Surgery is used to extract cancerous or irregular tissue. However, in situations where the brain cancer is located in a part of the brain where surgery could damage other parts of the brain, it is always preferable not to operate. When surgery is unable to kill all cancer cells, it relieves symptoms and improves other therapies’ effectiveness.
Radiation Therapy – This treatment aims to kill the cancer cell’s ability to survive and reproduce by using high-energy radiation. It’s usually used after surgery to destroy any cancer cells that haven’t been removed.
Chemotherapy – Doctors use specific medications to try to kill brain cancer cells. Chemotherapy comes in the form of pills or injections. Doctors can also insert a chemotherapy drug-containing implant into the brain cancer cavity.
Immunotherapy – In this context, the immune cells of the human body are geared towards the destruction of certain particular forms of cancer cells. The treatment delays cancer cell growth and prevents it from spreading to other parts of the body.
You should be aware of the following details about brain cancer
1. Not all brain tumors are cancers; others are benign or non-cancerous masses of cancerous cells that mostly affect the brain’s structural tissue. While some may be malignant or cancerous in nature, meaning the cancerous cells can spread to other organs in the body.
2. Contrary to popular opinion, brain cancer is uncommon in India. Just two or three people out of every 100,000 are affected, accounting for less than 2% of all malignancies diagnosed.
3. You are incorrect if you believe that brain cancer is only one form of cancer that affects brain cells or tissues. In reality, different types of brain tumors are classified according to their size, position, cell of origin, and grade. As a result, not all brain tumors are the same.
4. Brain cancers are divided into two categories: primary tumors and secondary tumors. Primary tumors are those that affect and develop in the brain tissue. Secondary tumors, also known as metastatic tumors, start in one part of the body and spread to the brain over time, such as the lung, breast, kidney, stomach, and intestine. Primary tumors are less common than secondary tumors, which are the most common in India.
5. Increased headache severity, which is more severe in the morning, is one of the most common brain tumor signs. Other signs and symptoms of brain cancer include weakness in the hands and legs, loss of balance while walking, blurred vision, seizures or fits, memory loss, vomiting, and mood or personality changes. If you have any of these signs or symptoms, consult a doctor as soon as possible. However, keep in mind that unless confirmed by radiological tests, these signs are not necessarily predictive of brain tumors.
6. If the doctor suspects a brain tumor, clinical tests to determine the neurological system are recommended. A CT scan, accompanied by different MRI scans, will be recommended by the doctor to determine the cancer’s grade. A biopsy or tumor excision is used to examine the tumor tissue in order to determine the tumor’s aggressiveness. This usually necessitates the opening of the skull and surgical removal of the tumor.
7. Brain cancer treatment in India is determined by cancer’s form and grade and the patient’s age and general health. Surgical treatment of grade I and II brain tumors can be sufficient to reduce the tumor’s size and symptoms. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are used to destroy the remaining cancerous cells in more malignant tumors (Grade III and IV). Chemotherapy can be administered orally or intravenously (through a vein) – the lower the tumor rating, the lower the chance of survival. The median survival time for grade IV tumors is 15 months.
Since brain cancer affects people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds, patients and family members must be aware of the disease. Stay ready to detect this disease early for faster treatment and effective prevention.
