History | Signs of a brain tumor

History

The course of a brain tumor depends primarily on whether it is a benign or malignant tumor. Slow-growing benign tumors cause symptoms at a very late stage and can often be removed before they become malignant. By contrast, malignant, aggressive tumors become symptomatic much earlier.

Depending on which symptoms occur, the disease progresses better or worse. Epileptic seizures or persistent headaches, for example, severely impair the patient’s quality of life; the symptoms typically worsen during the course of the disease. Medication, such as painkillers for headaches, often show no effect even in the early stages.

The treatment of malignant brain tumors is also not easy. Despite surgical removal, residual tumor tissue sometimes remains and the tumor can then grow again (recurrence). In the case of a recurrent brain tumor, the course and thus the prognosis often deteriorate dramatically. The treatment of a brain tumor usually includes surgical removal of the ulcer, followed by chemotherapy or radiation.