Causes and risk factors

The exact causes for the development of brain tumors are still largely unknown today. Apparently there are several factors that could be involved in the development of brain tumors: Further possible causes such as environmental toxins, eating habits, mental stress, stress and electromagnetic waves, which are produced during cell phone calls, are being discussed. According to the current state of knowledge, however, there is no connection.

Genetic causes: certain rare hereditary diseases, such as Recklinghausen’s disease in neurofibromatosis, Turcot syndrome, Hippel-Lindau syndrome and Li-Fraumeni syndrome can increase the risk of brain tumors.
Radiation therapy, which is used to treat many types of cancer, carries the risk that brain tumors may become more frequent.
As with other cancer diseases, increasing age is also associated with an increased risk. This is particularly true for glioblastomas.

Symptoms

Here, one must differentiate between slow and fast growing brain tumors. The slowly growing ones show the appropriate symptoms only late. Fast-growing, space-occupying types of cancer, on the other hand, quickly show the appropriate symptoms.

Above all, so-called cerebral pressure signs occur. They are caused by the cancer displacing the healthy tissue in the brain and leaving no room for evasion because the bony calotte of the skull cannot expand any further. This results in increased pressure in the brain.

The cerebral pressure signs are among others: In itself, headaches are usually harmless. If they are new, especially at night and in the morning, stronger, more frequent than usual and recurring, a doctor should be consulted. In addition, neurological failures can occur, these become noticeable: In addition, psychological changes (easily irritable, more distractible) and conspicuous behavior are possible.

In children, especially in infants in the first year of life whose cranial sutures are not yet closed, the increased intracranial pressure leads to the individual skull plates moving apart. This is manifested by a protrusion of the bone gap of the skull and strong head growth.

Headaches
Disturbances of consciousness (drowsiness up to coma)
Seizures
As well as nausea and vomiting.
Swindle
Paralysis
Visual and sensory disorders
Balance disorders
Gang insecurity

At first, a brain tumor usually grows undetected within the skull.

However, depending on the location, size and type of tumor, certain symptoms may occur, which are to be considered signs. If certain signs are perceived, it is therefore recommended that the symptoms be clarified by a physician.With the help of diagnostic methods, the doctor can find out whether the symptoms are signs of a brain tumor or whether they are due to other diseases. In general, a distinction must be made between signs that are caused solely by the increasing mass of the tumor and signs that are caused by damage to certain brain cells.

In addition, certain signs arise which can be attributed to the presence of a malignant tumor disease. The space inside the skull is generally limited, which is why a growing tumor results in a lack of volume inside the skull. In most cases, irritation of the meninges occurs in the course of this increase in volume.

In contrast to the brain itself, these are sensitively supplied with nutrients. Thus, brain tumors are usually the first sign of severe headaches, sometimes accompanied by vomiting. The signs, which are caused by the direct irritation of certain areas of the brain, can be very different.

For example, tumors located in the area of the optic nerve can restrict the field of vision. Paralysis or disturbance of smell, swallowing, hearing or taste can also occur. In some cases, areas that influence the hormone balance in the body are irritated.

If sudden seizures occur or there are difficulties in concentration and the personality seems to change, this can also be due to a brain tumor. Signs, which can occur in many tumor diseases and also in a number of brain tumors, affect the entire body. Night sweat, weight loss and an inexplicable fever are typical reactions of the organism to the disease.

If a brain tumor is suspected, a thorough anamnesis (patient interview) should be conducted first, followed by a detailed physical and neurological examination. Then imaging methods should be used to determine the exact location of the tumor. The most important methods here are magnetic resonance imaging (precise magnetic resonance imaging of the head) and computed tomography (CT) of the head.

During these examinations, sectional images of the brain are taken, on which practically all brain tumors become visible. A puncture of the cerebrospinal fluid (the so-called liquor puncture) can also indicate a tumor of the brain in certain cases. Often the attending physician will order a positron emission tomography (PET) of the head.

This provides information about the sugar metabolism of the tumor and tells whether it is a benign change (e.g. a scar or inflammation) or something malignant. In addition, a PET can be used to determine whether the tumor is a slow-growing benign tumor or a fast-growing malignant tumor. To make a one hundred percent reliable diagnosis of the brain tumor and the type of tumor, a tissue sample is necessary.

This can be done during the surgical removal of the brain tumor or separately via a small operation. As already mentioned, the tissue sample can be used to classify the tumor into grades I to IV according to the WHO classification:

Grade I: This is where the benign tumors are located, which grow only slowly and differ only slightly from normal tissue cells.
Grade II: These are still benign tumors that grow into the environment. This is also called infiltrative growth. A further development towards more aggressive tumors is possible.
Grade III and grade IV: The tumors grow rapidly to extremely rapidly and show signs of malignancy in the tissue sample.