Brain cancer is an abnormal growth of cells in your brain. These form masses called tumours.
Many different types of brain tumours exist. Some brain tumours are noncancerous (benign), and some brain tumours are cancerous (malignant). Brain tumours can begin in your brain as primary brain tumours, or cancer can begin in other parts of your body and spread to your brain as secondary (metastatic) brain tumours.
There are also different types and grades of brain tumours. The type is based on where it’s located in your brain, and the grade indicates how quickly a tumour grows. The grades range from 1 to 4. Grade 4 being the fastest. Brain tumours can grow very quickly and they can overpower healthy cells depending on the type of tumour.
Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of a brain tumour vary greatly and depend on the brain tumour’s size, location and rate of growth.
General signs and symptoms caused by brain tumours may include:
- New-onset, change in pattern or headaches that become more frequent or more severe
- Vision problems, such as blurred vision, double vision or loss of peripheral vision
- Gradual loss of sensation or movement in an arm or a leg
- Difficulty with balance
- Speech difficulties
- Feeling very tired
- Confusion.
- Inability to follow simple commands
- Personality or behaviour changes
- Seizures, especially in someone who doesn’t have a history of seizures
- Hearing problems
- Unexplained nausea or vomiting