Cancer of any type is a scary thought but when it involves a vitally important part of the body such as that of the brain this is especially true. Although cancers of the brain are not often a common occurrence they can and do happen. The key factor in these types of cancers is in how quickly they are detected and treated.
The brain is a vital part of the body because it has so many essential functions within the body such as controlling issues like movement, speech, coordination and auditory control among many other issues.
There are two basic types of cancer that can affect the brain. Primary brain cancer which is the type that develops in the brain and secondary brain cancer which starts somewhere else within the body and travels or metastasizes to this area. This secondary type is often referred to as metastasized brain cancer.
Any type of formation or tumor that is found within the area of the brain and is determined to be malignant or cancerous is considered to be a life threatening condition. This does not necessarily mean that any growth detected is cancerous although there are some instances where non cancerous formations can be as fatal as those which contain caner. Usually benign or non cancerous tumors are only thought to be potentially fatal if they create a blockage of essential veins or blood vessels.
For brain cancer of the primary type to travel beyond the area of the central nervous system is considered to be a rare occurrence. The most common cause of fatality in relation to tumors in the brain happen because the skull area did not allow for the growth of the formation and it exceeded the amount of available space.
Because secondary brain cancer is usually indicative of a primary cancer somewhere in the body that has reached an advanced point the rate of fatality for this is usually high. Some primary cancers that may ultimately spread to the brain include liver, kidney and breast cancer although other types of cancer may also lead to this occurrence.
Some signs or symptoms that a person might expect to incur with the presence of brain cancer include inability to maintain balance, feelings of being dizzy or lightheaded, seizures, loss of memory, nausea, vomiting, severe and sudden headaches, changes in the behavior or personality of a person as well as in how they speak or rationalize and changes in how the individual sees or hears things.
Because many of these symptoms can also indicate other illnesses, diseases or conditions it is important that you seek professional medical advice from a licensed health care professional for proper diagnosis. The sooner this step is taken the better the chances will be for treatment because the more advanced the condition becomes the harder it will be to effectively treat. When dealing with this type of serious and potentially life threatening condition time is of the essence and you should never put off treatment to see if the symptoms improve on their own.