Symptoms
The symptoms caused by brain metastases are often initially very unspecific and are triggered by increasing intracranial pressure. Only when sensitive regions of the brain are affected or when metastasis has progressed can the symptoms be assigned more specifically to a disease with brain metastases. In about one third of cases, brain metastases cause symptoms before the primary tumor (e.g. lung cancer) has even been detected.
Sometimes it is even impossible to detect the primary tumor despite intensive search. In these cases, this is known as a Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP). It also happens that brain metastases occur years later after the appearance and treatment of the primary tumor.
The symptoms caused by brain metastases are usually no different from the symptoms of a malignant brain tumor (e.g. glioblastoma). Brain metastases often grow very quickly and cause swelling of the surrounding tissue (perifocal edema), which, if left untreated, leads to a life expectancy of a few weeks to a few months. The most common symptom of brain metastases is headache.
These are caused by the fact that the metastasis and the increasing tissue swelling have a space-consuming effect, causing the pain-sensitive meninges to be stretched and irritated. Depending on the location of the brain metastases, a variety of other neurological symptoms can occur. Thus, depending on where the brain metastasis has settled, symptoms such as: may occur.
In some cases there are personality and mood changes (if the brain metastases are located in the frontal brain), which is usually recognized by friends and relatives.Psychological changes in a person can also be a consequence of brain metastases, which is also called organic psychosyndrome or delirium and can manifest itself in paranoid or aggressive features. If the brain metastases are located in the cerebellum or brain stem, they often manifest themselves as symptoms such as dizziness, ataxia (problems with movement coordination) or brain stem syndromes. Since in most cases the growth of brain metastases leads to an increase in intracranial pressure, symptoms such as apathy, fatigue and clouding of consciousness may occur.
In the late phase of a disease with brain metastases, insatiable vomiting or coma may occur. These symptoms have a very unfavorable prognosis. Since in most cases the growth of brain metastases leads to an increase in intracranial pressure, symptoms such as apathy, tiredness and clouding of consciousness can occur.
In the late phase of a disease with brain metastases, insatiable vomiting or coma may occur. These symptoms have a very unfavorable prognosis.
- Epileptic seizures
- Sensitivity disorders
- Speech disorders
- Visual field failures
- Symptoms of paralysis (pareses)
