Brain tumors in children need to be aware. Brain tumors can indeed strike anyone and at any age, but brain tumors are secondary to malignant disease is prevalent leukemia in children. In America, there are about 1,500 children are diagnosed with brain tumors each year.
Brain tumors are the conditions where the growth of abnormal cells in the brain, caused by uncontrolled cell division. Generally, brain tumors found in the brain itself, in the nerve tissue of the head, brain membrane, shell, or spread from cancers primarily located on the location of other organs in the body.
Classified brain tumors into two types, primary brain tumors and secondary brain tumors. Primary brain tumors are brain tumors that originated from other parts of the body and spread to the brain. Primary brain tumors can be divided into two kinds according to its nature, malignant (malignant) and benign (benign).
Malignant tumors (malignant) is a tumor that contains cancer cells, which divide and grow rapidly and invade healthy tissue around it. In contrast to benign tumors (benign) that can live with normal cells, but sometimes can cause neurological disorders that cause seizures, changes in the nature, memory loss, and interfere with vital functions of the brain. While secondary brain tumors, malignant and is always fatal.
Do not care about age, brain tumors can arise at any time, but brain tumors that arise in infants and children would have different properties from brain tumors that affect adults. Both in terms of types of cells and the effect of treatment. Here are some types of brain tumors are often found in children, among others, astrocytomas, brainstem gliomas, ependymomas, and medulloblastomas.
Causes of brain tumors is still unknown, but there are several factors that play a role in the formation of brain tumors, including radiation to the brain and hereditary disease that can increase the risk of developing brain tumors such as neurofibromatosis, Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, Li-Fraumeni syndrome, and Turcot syndrome. The use of cell phones, brain injury, the effects of certain chemicals or magnetic field was mentioned as a factor external causes brain tumors, but more research is still needed to find a relationship between these risk factors.
Personality changes are often the first symptom of brain tumor. Before the discovery of the tumor, within a few weeks or months will look lethargic, irritable, hyperactive, forgetful or bad academic value. In general, people have difficulty concentrating because of the presence of a tumor on his brain.
Neurological tests, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and CT scan is the preferred method to check the existence of a brain tumor. If after the diagnosis is found in brain tumors, there are several methods of handling or treatment that depends on the size and type of tumor and overall child health.
Treatment may include surgery, radiation and brainste glioma with chemotheraphy to shrink the tumor size and prolong the lifespan. In addition to these treatment methods, may also use corticosteroid medications, such as dexamethasone (to reduce swelling of the brain), diuretics (urea or mannitol) to reduce swelling and pressure, anticonvulsants (phenytoin or leveiracetam) to reduce cramping and other treatments to manage pain .
Some tumors can be cleaned thoroughly, but not with tumors on the network and can only be reduced because it can not be retrieved or thoroughly cleaned. Brain tumors are dangerous and fatal diseases. Therefore, parents need to recognize the symptoms of a brain tumor early on so it can be addressed accurately and quickly.