brain tumor

Brain tumor

It is a heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by the presence of abnormal tissue (mass) in the brain. Due to the type, can be divided into:

A. cancerous tumors - here includes most brain tumors - the most common are brain metastases originating from other parts of the body (lung cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer and urinary tract, melanoma, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, endometrial cancer, leukemia and lymphomas, sarcomas in children), primary central nervous system tumors are less common, they are divided into:

a) tumors originating from epithelial neuromuscular tissue (neuroepithelial tumors):

• astrocytic (astrocytic glioblastomas, astrocytomas)

• low-grade astrocytomas

• mixed gliomas

• stuffing glial tumors

• tumors of embryonic origin (embryonic)

• tumors of unknown histogenesis

• tumors of the choroid plexus

• tumors and mixed neuronal-glial neuronalno

• neuroepithelial tumors originating from pineal parenchymal


b) other tumors of the central nervous system:

• tumors of cranial and spinal nerves

• meninges cancer

• lymphoma and hematologic malignancies

• germ cell tumors

• tumors of the sella

• spreading cancer per continua

• cysts and tumor-like changes similar.

B. The non-cancerous tumors - such as hydatid cysts, parasites, abscesses, aneurysms.


Symptoms - are primarily related to increased intracranial pressure, additional symptoms depend on the location of the tumor and compression of the surrounding tissue.


Diagnostics - the best method of diagnosis of changes in central nervous system is a magnetic resonance imaging, often supplemented by positron emission tomography (PET), computed tomography, testing evoked potentials, cerebrospinal fluid parameters, tumor markers, angiography.


Treatment - if possible, should be causal and is dependent on the etiology of tumor. In case of cancer therapy, there are therapeutic standards (the most common method is to remove the tumor or stereotactic radiotherapy). Symptomatic treatment we use in cases of inoperable cancer.