What are the side effects of treatment
for brain tumors?
Because treatment may damage healthy cells and tissues, unwanted side effects
are common. These side effects depend on many factors, including the location of
the tumor and the type and extent of the treatment. Side effects may not be the
same for each person, and they may even change from one treatment session to the
next. Before treatment starts, the health care team will explain possible side
effects and suggest ways to help the patient manage them.
Surgery
Patients often have a headache or are uncomfortable for the first few days
after surgery. However, medicine can usually control their pain. Patients should
feel free to discuss pain relief with the doctor or nurse.
It is also common for patients to feel tired or weak. The length of time it
takes to recover from an operation varies for each patient.
Other, less common, problems may occur. Cerebrospinal fluid or blood may
build up in the brain. This swelling is called edema. The health care team
monitors the patient for signs of these problems. The patient may receive
steroids to help relieve swelling. A second surgery may be needed to drain the
fluid. The surgeon may place a long, thin tube (shunt) in a ventricle of the
brain. The tube is threaded under the skin to another part of the body, usually
the abdomen. Excess fluid is carried from the brain and drained into the
abdomen. Sometimes the fluid is drained into the heart instead.
Infection is another problem that may develop after surgery. If this happens,
the health care team gives the patient an antibiotic.
Brain surgery may damage normal tissue. Brain damage can be a serious
problem. The patient may have problems thinking, seeing, or speaking. The
patient also may have personality changes or seizures. Most of these problems
lessen or disappear with time. But sometimes damage to the brain is permanent.
The patient may need physical therapy, speech therapy, or occupational therapy.
Radiation Therapy
Some patients have nausea for several hours after treatment. The health care
team can suggest ways to help patients cope with this problem. Radiation therapy
also may cause patients to become very tired as treatment continues. Resting is
important, but doctors usually advise patients to try to stay as active as they
can.
In addition, radiation therapy commonly causes
hair loss. Hair usually grows
back within a few months. Radiation therapy also may affect the skin in the
treated area. The scalp and ears may become red, dry, and tender. The health
care team can suggest ways to relieve these problems.
Sometimes radiation therapy causes brain tissue to swell. Patients may get a
headache or feel pressure. The health care team watches for signs of this
problem. They can provide medicine to reduce the discomfort.
Radiation sometimes kills healthy brain tissue. This side effect is called
radiation necrosis. Necrosis can cause headaches,
seizures, or even the patient's death.
In children, radiation may damage the pituitary gland and other areas of the
brain. This could cause learning problems or slow down growth and development.
In addition, radiation during childhood increases the risk of secondary tumors
later in life. Researchers are studying whether chemotherapy may be used instead
of radiation therapy in young children with brain tumors.
Side effects may be worse if chemotherapy and radiation therapy are given at
the same time. The doctor can suggest ways to ease these problems.
Patients who receive an implant (a wafer) that contains a drug are monitored
by the health care team for signs of infection after surgery. An infection can
be treated with an antibiotic.
Supportive Care
At any stage of disease, people with brain tumors receive supportive care to
prevent or control problems and to improve their comfort and quality of life
during treatment. Patients may have treatment to control pain and other symptoms
of a brain tumor, to relieve the side effects of therapy, and to ease emotional
problems.
These are common types of supportive care for people with brain tumors:
Steroids - Most patients with brain tumors need steroids to help relieve
swelling of the brain.
Anticonvulsant medicine - Brain tumors can cause seizures. Patients may
take an anticonvulsant medicine to prevent or control seizures.
Shunt - If fluid builds up in the brain, the surgeon may place a shunt to
drain the fluid. Information about shunts is under "Surgery" in the "Side
Effects" section.
Many people with brain tumors receive supportive care along with treatments
intended to slow the progress of the disease. Some decide not to have antitumor
treatment and receive only supportive care to manage their symptoms.
Brain Tumor - Symptoms at Onset of DiseaseQuestion: The symptoms of brain tumor can vary greatly from patient to patient. What were your symptoms at the onset of your disease?
Headaches can be divided into two categories: primary headaches and secondary headaches. Migraine headaches, tension headaches, and cluster headaches are considered primary headaches. Secondary headaches are caused by disease. Headache symptoms vary with the headache type. Over-the-counter pain relievers provide short-term relief for most headaches.
Edema is the swelling of tissues as a result of excess water accumulations. Peripheral edema occurs in the feet and legs. There are two types of edema, non-pitting edema and pitting edema. Causes of pitting edema is caused by systemic diseases, most commonly involving the heart, liver, and kidneys. Local conditions that cause edema are thrombophlebitis and varicose veins. Edema is generally treated with medication.
Nausea is an uneasiness of the stomach that often precedes vomiting. Nausea and vomiting are not diseases, but they are symptoms of many conditions. The causes of vomiting differ according to age, and treatment depends upon the cause of nausea and vomiting.
Dementia is a significant loss of intellectual abilities such as memory capacity, severe enough to interfere with social or occupational functioning. There are different criteria classification schemes for dementias such as cortical, subcortical, progressive, primary, and secondary dementias. Other conditions and medication reactions can also cause dementia. Dementia is diagnosed based on a certain set of criteria. Treatment for dementia is generally focused on the symptoms of the disease.
Cancer is a disease caused by an abnormal growth of cells, also called malignancy. It is a group of 100 different diseases, and is not contagious. Cancer can be treated through chemotherapy, a treatment of drugs that destroy cancer cells.
Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which the person has seizures. There are two kinds of seizures, focal and generalized. There are many causes of epilepsy. Treatment of epilepsy (seizures) depends upon the cause and type of seizures experienced.
Hydrocephalus is an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles of the brain. The fluid is often under increased pressure and can compress and damage the brain. Symptoms of hydrocephalus vary with age, progression of the disease, and individual tolerance to the condition. Hydrocephalus is most often treated by surgery in which a shunt system is inserted.
Encephalopathy means brain disease, damage, or malfunction. Causes of encephalopathy are varied and numerous. The main symptom of encephalopathy is an altered mental state. Other symptoms include lethargy, dementia, seizures, tremors, and coma. Treatment of encephalopathy depends on the type of encephalopathy (anoxia, diabetic, Hashimoto's, hepatic, hyper - hypotensive, infectious, metabolic, infections, uremic, or Wernicke's) are examples of types of encephalopathy.
Hydronephrosis is a condition in which the kidney swells, due to a backup of urine. Hydronephrosis generally occurs with another disease.Symptoms of hydronephrosis include nausea, vomiting, urinary tract infection, fever, painful urination, increased urinary frequency and urgency, flank pain, and swelling of the abdomen. Treatment of hydronephrosis depends on the cause.
Cancers that form from brain tissue are called primary brain tumors. Brain tumors may be malignant (brain cancer) or benign. Certain risk factors, such as working in an oil refinery, as a chemist, or embalmer, increase the likelihood of developing brain cancer. Symptoms include headaches, weakness, seizures, difficulty walking, blurry vision, nausea and vomiting, and changes in speech, memory, or personality. Treatment may involve surgery, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy.
Hypothermia is having a body core temperature of less than 35 C or 95 F. Most causes of hypothermia are preventable. Risk factors for hypothermia include age, mental status, medical conditions, and medications. Symptoms of hypothermia generally depend upon the severity of the condition. Treatment depends upon the severity of hypothermia. If not treated early, hypothermia can lead to cardiac arrest, coma, or death.
A brain hemorrhage is a type of stroke caused when an artery bursts in the brain, causing localized bleeding in the surrounding tissue. Causes of brain hemorrhage include aneurysm, liver disease, brain tumor, head trauma, high blood pressure, and blood vessel abnormalities. Symptoms include sudden severe headache, nausea, vomiting, loss of balance, tingling, numbness, vision changes, loss of consciousness, and loss of fine motor skills. Treatment depends upon the cause, location, and size of the brain hemorrhage.
Psychotic disorders are a group of serious illnesses that affect the mind. Different types of psychotic disorders include schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, brief psychotic disorder, shared psychotic disorder, delusional disorder, substance-induced psychotic disorder, paraphrenia, and psychotic disorders due to medical conditions.
Nausea and vomiting are symptoms that may be caused by many conditions. Antiemetics are drugs that treat nausea and vomiting. Though some antiemetics for motion sickness and mild nausea are available over the counter (OTC), most require a medical evaluation and prescription.
Hiccups are a sudden, involuntary contraction of the diaphragm muscle. In general hiccups are just a temporary condition. Some of the causes of hiccups include certain medications, surgery, eating or drinking too much, spicy foods, diseases or conditions that irritate the nerves controlling the diaphragm, strokes, brain tumors, liver failure, and noxious fumes.
Aphasia is a condition that is the result of damage to portions of the brain. It can be caused by stroke, head injury, brain tumor, or infection. There are two types of aphasia, fluent and non-fluent. Some patients may fully recover from aphasia over time, while others may not.
Though it's difficult to say why some people develop cancer while others don't, research shows that certain risk factors increase a person's odds of developing cancer. These risk factors include growing older, family history of cancer, diet, alcohol and tobacco use, and exposure to sunlight, ionizing radiation, certain chemicals, and some viruses and bacteria.
People who have bladder spasms, the sensation occurs suddenly and often severely. A spasm itself is the sudden, involuntary squeezing of a muscle. A bladder spasm, or "detrusor contraction," occurs when the bladder muscle squeezes suddenly without warning, causing an urgent need to release urine. The spasm can force urine from the bladder, causing leakage. When this happens, the condition is called urge incontinence or overactive bladder.
Adult brain tumors are diseases in which cancer (malignant) cells begin to grow in the tissues of the brain. The brain controls memory and learning, senses (hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch), and emotion. It also controls other parts of the body, including muscles, organs, and blood vessels. Tumors that start in the brain are called primary brain tumors.
Pseudotumor Cerebri (intracranial hypertension) is a condition where there is an increase in pressure of fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord (cerebrospinal fluid or CSF) mimicing a brain tumor. The cause is unknown. The most common symptom is headache but also include eye-pain, vision loss and double vision. Pseudotumor cerebri is diagnosed with MRI or CAT scans and treated by discontinuing offending medications (if applicable), weight loss and diuretic medications. The condition can also be helped by repeated drainage of spinal fluid using the lumbar puncture.
Double vision (diplopia) is a symptom that my indicate Graves' disease, myasthenia gravis, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, diabetes, cataracts, aneurysm, brain tumor, or migraine. Symptoms and signs include eye pain, droopy eyelids, nausea, headache, and a cross-eyed appearance. Treatment of double vision depends upon the underlying cause.
Kids get headaches and migraines too. Many adults with headaches started having them as kids, in fact, 20% of adult headache sufferers say their headaches started before age 10, and 50% report their headaches started before age 20.
Most often, caregivers take care of other adults who are ill or disabled. Less often, caregivers are grandparents raising their grandchildren. The majority of caregivers are middle-aged women. Caregiving can be very stressful, so it's important to recognize when it's putting to much strain on you and to take steps to prevent/relieve stress.
Fast food consumption and lack of exercise are just a couple of causes of childhood obesity. Health effects of childhood obesity include type 2 diabetes, heart attack, stroke, high cholesterol, asthma, sleep apnea, gallstones, fatty liver disease, GERD, depression, and eating disorders.
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