Tumors (growths) may occur in the brain. These tumors may be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Even noncancerous tumors may cause compression of the brain tissue, so they may need to be aggressively treated or removed surgically. Malignant brain tumors may be primary (cancers of the brain tissue itself) or metastatic (spread from a cancer somewhere else in the body). The February 2, 2005, issue of JAMA includes an article about primary malignant brain tumors.
Primary brain tumors are named according to the tissue from which they arise. They include glioblastoma (the most common type of primary brain tumor and the most aggressive form of astrocytoma) and meningioma. Some types of brain tumors are more common in children than in adults, and children are more likely to develop primary brain tumors than adults. Metastatic tumors in the brain are commonly associated with cancers of the lung, breast, and colon.
Headache
Nausea and vomiting
Seizures (sudden attacks involving changes in consciousness, movements, or sensations caused by bursts of electrical activity in the brain)
Dizziness
Weakness in hands, arms, feet, or legs
Blurred or disturbed vision
Slurred speech or difficulty finding words
Decreased memory or concentration
Symptoms similar to those of brain tumors may occur in individuals with other neurological disorders, so in addition to taking a medical history and performing a physical examination, your doctor may order scans such as a computed tomography (CT) scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that show the internal structures of the brain. The tumor type is confirmed by examining a sample taken from the tumor site. This is delicate surgery performed by neurosurgeons (doctors with specialized training in surgery of the nervous system).
Grahic Jump Location
Treating brain tumors may be difficult because of their location. Surgery is used in many cases. Chemotherapy (cancer drug treatments) and radiation (high-energy x-ray) therapy may be used to decrease the size of brain tumors. Dexamethasone, a steroid medication, can decrease brain swelling. Antiseizure medication may be given to treat or prevent seizures associated with brain tumors.
American Brain Tumor Association 800/886-2282 http://hope.abta.org/site/PageServer
National Brain Tumor Foundation 800/934-2873 http://www.braintumor.org
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokehttp://www.ninds.nih.gov
To find this and previous JAMA Patient Pages, go to the Patient Page link on JAMA's Web site at http://www.jama.com. A Patient Page on cancer clinical trials was published in the June 9, 2004, issue; and one on cancer and children was published in the April 10, 2002, issue.
Sources: American Cancer Society, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
The JAMA Patient Page is a public service of JAMA. The information and recommendations appearing on this page are appropriate in most instances, but they are not a substitute for medical diagnosis. For specific information concerning your personal medical condition, JAMA suggests that you consult your physician. This page may be photocopied noncommercially by physicians and other health care professionals to share with patients. Any other print or online reproduction is subject to AMA approval. To purchase bulk reprints, call 718/946-7424.
TOPIC: NEUROLOGICAL DISEASE
Country-Specific Mortality and Growth Failure in Infancy and Yound Children and Association With Material Stature
Use interactive graphics and maps to view and sort country-specific infant and early dhildhood mortality and growth failure data and their association with maternal
Instructions
Comments are moderated and will appear on the site at the discretion of the Journal of American Medical Association editors. Comments should not exceed 500 words of text and 10 references.
Do not submit personal medical questions or information that could identify a specific patient, questions about a particular case, or general inquiries to an author. Only content that has not been published, posted, or submitted elsewhere should be submitted. By submitting this Comment, you and any coauthors transfer copyright to the journal if your Comment is posted.
* = Required Field
Disclosure of Any Conflicts of Interest* Indicate all relevant conflicts of interest of each author below, including all relevant financial interests, activities, and relationships within the past 3 years including, but not limited to, employment, affiliation, grants or funding, consultancies, honoraria or payment, speakers’ bureaus, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, royalties, donation of medical equipment, or patents planned, pending, or issued. If all authors have none, check "No potential conflicts or relevant financial interests" in the box below. Please also indicate any funding received in support of this work. The information will be posted with your response.
Register and get free email Table of Contents alerts, saved searches, PowerPoint downloads, CME quizzes, and more
Subscribe for full-text access to content from 1998 forward and a host of useful features
Activate your current subscription (AMA members and current subscribers)
Some tools below are only available to our subscribers or users with an online account.
Download citation file:
Customize your page view by dragging & repositioning the boxes below.
and access these and other features:
Register Now
Enter your username and email address. We'll send you a reminder to the email address on record.
Athens and Shibboleth are access management services that provide single sign-on to protected resources. They replace the multiple user names and passwords necessary to access subscription-based content with a single user name and password that can be entered once per session. It operates independently of a user's location or IP address. If your institution uses Athens or Shibboleth authentication, please contact your site administrator to receive your user name and password.