Brain cancer can originate in the brain or be the result of cancer from elsewhere in the body that moves (or metastasizes) into the brain. While there are many treatment options, unfortunately there are some brain cancers that are simply non-treatable. Many factors are looked at when arriving at the conclusion that a brain cancer is inoperable: the size and location of the cancer, the health and age of the patient, as well as risks to the patient.
Tumor Size
The size of a particular malignant tumor (brain cancer) may cause it to be inoperable. For example, if the tumor is very small and is embedded within the brain in an area that is not able to be reached surgically (and would hurt the patient's ability to continue to function normally), than doctors sometimes have no other choice but to not operate. Likewise, if the cancer growth is all-consuming in the brain--making it virtually impossible to remove all of it successfully, without complications or eliminate the cancer's continued effects--it is considered non-treatable.
Loss in Standard of Living
Some brain cancers are growing in areas that make it impossible to perform the surgery to remove the tumor without also doing permanent damage to the affected area. For example, if the tumor is too near (or growing on) the visual cortex area, the loss of sight could be the result of surgery. If the cancer is near auditory nerves, the sufferer could be at risk of loss of hearing if surgery is performed. Fear of losing a certain standard of living, with no guarantee of successfully removing all of the cancer, can motivate individuals and their doctors to not treat the cancer.
Health
Doctors are sometimes unable to treat brain cancers in individuals who are in very poor health physically or who suffer from diseases and conditions that would necessitate that surgery or radiation not be used to fight brain cancer. Some examples would be the elderly or others with very poor heart health, as well as those who already suffer from some type of brain complications due to seizures or Alzheimer's.
Age
Age is a factor in cancer of the brain potentially being non-treatable. A small child's brain cancer could be inoperable due to the impact treatment would have if the tumor's size and location suggests great complications. Likewise, this is also true of the elderly.
Potential
New advances in the medical field are happening every day. Therefore, there is always the hope that someday in the future there will be a treatable solution for all brain cancers.
Tags: brain cancers, brain cancer, example tumor, size location, suffer from, very poor