Secondary brain tumors, or metastases, are the most common form of brain cancer. The cancer originates in another area of the body, and it spreads to the brain. Symptoms are similar to that of primary malignant brain tumors, but secondary brain cancer patients will also experience the symptoms of the original cancer. Patients have the same options for treatment as other brain cancer patients; however, treatment will needed to be targeted at both tumor locations.
Primary vs. Secondary
It's not fully known what causes brain tumors; however, if the brain tumor is the first to be identified, there is probably cancer elsewhere. Secondary brain cancers are more common than primary brain cancers, which form originally in the brain. If there is more than one malignant brain tumor, they are most likely secondary brain tumors instead of primaries. Those tumors are referred to as multiple brain secondaries.
Causes
Secondary brain cancers are a metastasis of another cancer elsewhere in the body. The most common cancers that have secondary brain tumors are lung, breast, bowel, colon, kidney (renal) and skin (malignant melanoma) cancers. Part of the cancer breaks off from the original tumor and spreads to the brain by traveling up the lymphatic system, made up of lymph nodes, through the bloodstream.
Symptoms
The symptoms of a secondary brain cancer depends on the lobe in which the tumor is located. The most common symptoms that are displayed by patients with secondary brain tumors are headaches, physical weakness, personality and behavioral changes, seizures, higher intracranial pressure brought on by the excess mass of the tumor, feeling ill often, confusion and drowsiness. Patients may also be displaying symptoms of the original cancer.
Diagnosis
There are three main tests used to determine whether a tumor is malignant or benign. Sometimes, a CT scan or MRI scan can show the difference between a primary and a secondary brain tumor. The CT scan uses X-rays, while the MRI scan uses magnets to provide an image. However, a biopsy is needed to confirm the diagnosis by testing the tumor cells.
Treatment
The most common treatments for brain cancers are radiation and chemotherapy. Depending on where the cancer is located on the brain, surgery is also an option. Hormonal therapy and immunotherapy are other possibilities for treating brain cancers. In addition, treatment for the primary cancer must be weighed.
Tags: brain tumors, brain cancers, most common, brain tumor, secondary brain