Cancer can occur in any part of the brain or spinal cord. In 1997, about 18,000 new brain tumors were diagnosed, which was a 50% increase from only ten years before. They are rare tumors, representing only 1.5% of all cancers reported in the United States.
The causes of central nervous system tumors are not known, and scientists cannot explain why brain tumors develop in healthy adults. Certain factors, however, have been identified that may increase a person’s chance of developing a brain tumor. For example, workers in the oil refining, rubber manufacturing, and drug manufacturing industries have higher rates of certain types of brain tumors. Researchers are also studying families in whom multiple members have developed the same type of brain tumor to see whether heredity plays a role. They are also looking at the connection between viral infections and exposure to radiation and the development of brain tumors. There is no research to suggest that head injuries cause or increase a person’s risk for developing a brain tumor. The use of older cell phones may be linked to brain cancer, but more study is needed to clarify this since some studies have not shown a higher risk. Because most patients diagnosed with a brain tumor have no identifiable risk factors, it is believed that brain tumors result from a number of factors acting together.
Tumors which start in the brain are called primary brain tumors and are classified according to the kind of cell from which the tumor seems to originate. The most common primary brain tumor in adults comes from cells in the brain called astrocytes that make up the blood-brain barrier and contribute to the nutrition of the central nervous system. These tumors are called gliomas (astrocytoma, anaplastic astrocytoma, or glioblastoma multiforme) and account for 65% of all primary central nervous system tumors.
Cancer from other parts of the body can spread to the brain and cause secondary tumors through a process called metastasis. Although it is possible for cancer from anywhere in the body to spread to the brain, it happens most often with cancers of the breast and lung. The cells of a metastatic brain tumor resemble the cells of the organ where the tumor started, not brain cells. For example, if a tumor starts in the breast and spreads to the brain, the cells of the brain tumor will resemble abnormal breast cells, not abnormal brain cells.
Signs, symptoms & indicators of Brain Cancer
Eyes bulge not from hyperthyroidism
Meningiomas – benign tumors that originate in the covering (meninges) around the brain – can cause different symptoms, depending on where they grow. They may cause weakness or numbness, seizures, an impaired sense of smell, bulging eyes, and changes in vision. In elderly people, they may cause memory loss and difficulty in thinking, similar to that found with Alzheimer’s disease.
Conditions that suggest Brain Cancer
Brain Cancer can lead to
Brain Cancer could instead be
Increased Risk of Stroke
Older persons with brain tumors may be initially misdiagnosed as having had a stroke.
Recommendations for Brain Cancer
Marijuana
Please see the link between Cancer – General Measures and Marijuana.
Artificial Sweetener Avoidance
According to researchers and physicians studying the adverse effects of aspartame, brain tumors can be triggered or worsened by ingesting aspartame.
LDN - Low Dose Naltrexone
The presence of opioid receptors on tumor cells is considered necessary for low dose naltrexone to be beneficial. Glioblastomas and astrocytomas were thought to be low in these receptors, but this assumption has turned out to be inaccurate. These tumor types contain sizable numbers of opioid receptors on their cell membranes.
Antineoplaston Therapy
Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski, who practices in Houston, Texas, has discovered that a group of peptides (short chains of amino acids) and amino acid derivatives normally are present in the body and serve to keep cells healthy and dividing normally. He also has discovered that people with cancer are critically short on these substances, which he has named “antineoplastons”. He has particular success with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, as well as two brain cancers: glioblastoma multiforme and astrocytoma, both of which are incurable using conventional therapy.
Key
| Weak or unproven link |
| Proven definite or direct link |
| May do some good |
| Likely to help |
| Highly recommended |
Glossary
Cancer
Refers to the various types of malignant neoplasms that contain cells growing out of control and invading adjacent tissues, which may metastasize to distant tissues.
Nervous System
A system in the body that is comprised of the brain, spinal cord, nerves, ganglia and parts of the receptor organs that receive and interpret stimuli and transmit impulses to effector organs.
Benign
Literally: innocent; not malignant. Often used to refer to cells that are not cancerous.
Seizure
While there are over 40 types of seizure, most are classed as either partial seizures which occur when the excessive electrical activity in the brain is limited to one area or generalized seizures which occur when the excessive electrical activity in the brain encompasses the entire organ. Although there is a wide range of signs, they mainly include such things as falling to the ground; muscle stiffening; jerking and twitching; loss of consciousness; an empty stare; rapid chewing/blinking/breathing. Usually lasting from between a couple of seconds and several minutes, recovery may be immediate or take up to several days.
Alzheimer's Disease
A progressive disease of the middle-aged and elderly, characterized by loss of function and death of nerve cells in several areas of the brain, leading to loss of mental functions such as memory and learning. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia.
Stroke
A sudden loss of brain function caused by a blockage or rupture of a blood vessel that supplies the brain, characterized by loss of muscular control, complete or partial loss of sensation or consciousness, dizziness, slurred speech, or other symptoms that vary with the extent and severity of the damage to the brain. The most common manifestation is some degree of paralysis, but small strokes may occur without symptoms. Usually caused by arteriosclerosis, it often results in brain damage.