By Sabrina Espinoza
Numbness on the face and right side of the body. An inability to fully stretch the left leg, hindering normal movement. Sudden impairment of speech. These are just some of the effects of brain cancer described by patients on the Henry Ford Health System website.
Cancer has usually been viewed as an elusive and complex disease, and brain cancer is no exception. What happens when the cells in one of the most central organs of our bodies become mutated and start dividing rapidly? How does the disease affect people who are developing tumors in the organ that makes up who they are?
A Brief Description of Brain Cancer
First, a general summary of what brain cancer is. The disease begins with a tumor growing in the brain or spinal cord. Like other cancers, this is caused by cells in the regions dividing uncontrollably, usually a result of some harmful mutation in the DNA.
Brain tumors are typically benign, meaning they rarely spread to other parts of the body. Although benign brain tumors don’t grow as excessively and stay localized in the brain, they can still be seriously damaging to the tissue around it.
Malignant brain tumors are much rarer, with the chances of developing one at less than 1%. They are different from benign tumors in how they can spread from the brain to other areas in the body through a process called metastasis. When this occurs, it’s not just the brain that needs treatment, but also the parts of the body cancer has spread to.
Tumors don’t have to begin in the brain to become brain cancer- other forms of cancer, such as breast and even skin cancer, can undergo metastasis and travel to the brain. These are known as secondary brain tumors.
The Varied Effects of Brain Cancer
Symptoms of brain cancer can be both mental and physical, especially since the brain is an organ that not only directs the functions of the body, but also houses more intangible things, such as memories, thoughts, and emotions.
It’s also important to note that brain tumor symptoms can slightly differ depending on where in the brain they’re located. Because our brains consist of lobes with specific functions (ex. frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital), as well as the brainstem and cerebellum, the location of a brain tumor can influence the effects that occur. Some of these effects (not all, however!) are detailed below.
Frontal Lobe (thoughts, cognition, executive functions):
- Difficulty with planning, solving problems, and making decisions.
- Issues with learning and remembering information.
- Difficulty with paying attention in a focused manner.
Temporal Lobe (hearing, memory, language):
- Difficulty hearing and dealing with auditory stimuli.
- Loss of memory.
- Trouble speaking or expressing one’s self.
Parietal Lobe (touch, sensory perception, temperature):
- Difficulty processing senses, such as vision, hearing, taste, touch, and smell.
- Issues with movement coordination.
- Issues with spatial awareness, such as judging the distances of things.
Occipital Lobe (vision, interpreting environmental stimuli, identification):
- Trouble with vision, such as identifying colors or being able to tell what an object is.
- Vision loss in one of the eyes.
Cerebellum (balance, posture, motor skills):
- Difficulty with balance.
- Trouble walking and making movements in general.
- Loss of coordination.
Brain Stem (involuntary actions, spinal-cord and, brain communication, sleep):
- Issues speaking and swallowing.
- Issues with walking and balancing body position when doing so.
- Weakness in the face.
Of course, some of the effects of a brain tumor can be more widespread, meaning it can happen in one or more brain locations. For example, there is a theme of a brain tumor causing difficulties with motor functions, sensory sensations, and cognitive functions in each location.
Still, regardless of location, one thing is clear: the effects have the potential to be devastating.
Treatments (so far) for Brain Cancer
However, there is hope: while we don’t have a complete cure for cancer just yet, including brain cancer, there are still various treatments that exist.
Typically, one of the first options is surgery on the tumor, which involves neurosurgeons removing as much of the mass as they can without disrupting or damaging brain function. This removal can help alleviate symptoms due to the pressure of the mass, such as headaches, nausea, vomiting, and blurred vision. Sometimes, tumors require surgery to be done in conjunction with radiation or chemotherapy.
Radiation therapy is a more precise method that targets brain tumor cells and can be used after surgery to eliminate any remaining microscopic cancerous cells or cells that couldn’t be removed during surgery.
Chemotherapy is usually used for patients with more rapidly dividing (higher-grade) cancerous cells. Two types of chemotherapy can be used for brain cancer: systemic or local. The former has drugs entering the bloodstream and traveling to different areas of the body, while the latter is directly entered into the brain tumor location (drug concentration is higher while typical side-effects of systemic chemotherapy are lower).
Brain-mapping technologies are also being developed to assist with brain cancer treatments. For example, a process called intraoperative neuronavigation involves an advanced MRI system that helps identify areas of the brain in charge of important functions, allowing surgeons to know which areas to avoid.
Another process called intraoperative electrophysiology involves small electrodes being placed around the brain’s outer area to activate areas near the tumor. Similar to neuronavigation, this method aids surgeons in figuring out which areas are vital to functions like speech and movement. Thus, during surgery, they will actively avoid getting too close to these areas in order to preserve the patient’s ability to do things like speak and move.
Brain Cancer Organizations/Charities
There are even multiple organizations contributing to providing hope and answers for brain cancer patients and people with affected loved ones.
One of the oldest US nonprofits dedicated to researching brain cancer and educating patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers about the disease is the American Brain Tumor Association (1973). Founded by two mothers who had young daughters diagnosed with brain cancer, the organization has raised $32 million for brain cancer research and actively strives to provide valuable resources such as informative brochures and inspiring stories.
Another organization is the National Brain Tumor Society, which was formed with the merging of the National Brain Tumor Foundation (1981) and Brain Tumor Society (1989). The organization’s mission includes fighting against brain cancer and supporting diagnosed people through funding research, educating patients, advocating for public policy change, and bringing together the brain cancer community.
Similarly, Voices Against Brain Cancer was created after the founder lost his 24-year-old son, Gary Lichenstein, to brain cancer in October 2003. The organization desires to find a cure for brain cancer and provide support for patients and loved ones through advancing research, raising awareness, building a brain cancer community, and increasing access to treatments.
The Future of Brain Cancer
There’s no doubt that brain cancer is a terrible disease that can lead to the loss of loved ones and the lives of people, old, young, and in-between, being cut short. However, evident in the available treatments and various nonprofits, the goal of finding a cure for brain cancer, and cancer in general, is ongoing.
There is also an abundance of people diagnosed with brain cancer sharing their powerful stories about surviving the disease. Some examples are on the nonprofits’ websites and on Henry Ford Health System.
With stories being shared, progress being made, and communities being formed, hope is still strong.
