Brain Cancer: Different Causes And Treatments Of Brain Cancer

Shannon Brown

Mr. Pontes

English 12 Honors

19 May 2014

According to SEER Statistics, 23,380 people are estimated to get a brain or nervous system cancer diagnosis. Out of those people, 14,320 people are estimated to die from their brain or nervous system cancer diagnosis (National Cancer Institute). Cancer is a type of dangerous tumor, or a buildup of extra cells that form a mass of tissue, that can be life threatening (National Cancer Institute). The term for a tumor that is cancerous is a malignat tumor, whereas a benign tumor does not contain cancer cells (National Cancer Institute). According to the National Cancer Institute, the causes of brain cancer are unknown, but risk factors include family history and excessive radiaton exposure. Although they are not always due to a brain tumor, comon symptoms include headaches, nausea, speech, hearing, vision, and mood changes, problems with balance and mamories, seizures, and numbness in arms and legs (National Cancer Institute). MRI and CT scans as well as surgical biposies (or the removal of part of the tumor to be examined) are used to diagnose brain cancer (National Cancer Institute). Different types of treatment options include radiation therapy, surgery to remove the tumor, and chemotherapy. According to Charles Davis, MD, PhD and Nitin Tandon, MD of WebMD.com, chemotherapy is “ the use of powerful drugs to kill tumor cells”. There are a few different types of chemotherapy, but all of which bring out the same kinds of side effects. Although the physical side effects of chemotherapy are commonly known, few people know of the emotional toll chemotherapy can take on a patient and his or her family as they go though this process.

The different types of chemotherapy include...

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...essive episodes (CareNotes). As chemo is administered, patients may aquire other issues, such as a loss in appitite, less energy, sores in the mouth, pain throughout the body, an increased heartbeat, coughing or breathing issues, and confusion (CareNotes). According to CareNotes, patients must stay away from people that are sick, due to a decreased immune system, and they must drink a lot of water to stay hydrated.

Although the physical side effects can be pretty terrible to deal with, the emotional side effects for a patient getting chemotherapy can be just as bad, if not worse. Jason Corinha, age eighteen, was diagnosed with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH) at age thirteen. LCH is a rare form of cancer where the tumor is made up of white blood cells. This tumor grows in between the brain and the skull, causing a great deal of pressure and pain in the head.