Betreff: Brain & Nervous System Cancers..Seattle Cancer Care Alliance..10 06 |
Von: JCMPelican@aol.com |
Datum: Sun, 22 Oct 2006 12:34:12 EDT |
"No substance is a poison by itself. It is the dose that makes a substance a poison..." Paracelsus (1493-1541)
Betreff: Brain & Nervous System Cancers..Seattle Cancer Care Alliance..10 06 |
Von: JCMPelican@aol.com |
Datum: Sun, 22 Oct 2006 11:10:31 EDT |
An: JCMPelican@aol.com |
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) unites three internationally renowned cancer care institutions—Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, UW Medicine, and Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center—to offer a variety of treatment options, designed from the latest research, for malignant and non-malignant diseases. [Note reference to electromagnetic radiation in Brain & Nervous System Cancer portion of website. 10-22-06 jcm]
Contact Us:
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
825 Eastlake Ave. E
P.O. Box 19023
Seattle, WA 98109-1023
(206) 288-7222
contactus@seattlecca.org
(Portion of) SEATTLE CANCER CARE ALLIANCE WEBSITE INFO:Brain & Nervous SystemPatient EducationWhat are Brain and Nervous System Cancers? Risk factors
Symptoms Brain tumors cause a wide variety of symptoms, all of which could also be attributed to other diseases. The symptoms depend on the size of the tumor and its location. Common symptoms include: frequent headaches that are not relieved by medication, and worsen over time; nausea or vomiting; pain, numbness, or weakness in arms, hands, legs, or feet; seizures; difficulty in walking, talking, or writing; and partial paralysis. Diagnosis Most brain tumors are detected on the basis of symptoms because there are no screening tests to detect brain tumors early. To detect a brain tumor, a doctor may order a magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI), which uses magnetic waves to make a picture of the brain. A computed tomography scan (CT), which uses a sophisticated X-ray machine and computer to create a detailed picture of the brain, may be performed instead of an MRI scan. A Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan provides a picture of brain activity rather than structure by measuring levels of injected glucose (sugar) or methionine (amino acid) that has been labeled with a radioactive tracer. A PET scan may help a doctor diagnose a recurrent brain tumor that is hard to see on a CT or MRI scan. Often a biopsy of the tumor tissue is required, or removal of the tumor. In some cases, a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) is performed to provide a definitive diagnosis. For children with a pontine glioma-a deep-seated tumor of the brain stem-doctors use an MRI scan because a biopsy is not considered beneficial. Once a tumor is found, more tests will be done to determine the type of tumor. To treat a brain tumor, a doctor needs to know how different the tumor cells are from the cells that are near it, which is called the histologic grade of the tumor. Generally, higher-grade tumors look less like the specialized cells they came from and more like unspecialized cells that can divide indefinitely. Such cells are called anaplastic; therefore tumors that are described as anaplastic are often higher grade than those that are not. The grade of the tumor is based solely on the biopsy, but the biopsy may miss higher grade cells lurking nearby. Also, for many patients, the grade of their tumor change during the course of the disease. Because grading a tumor is as much an art as a science, it's essential that a patient have his or her biopsy samples looked at by a neuropathologist who sees a large number of brain tumors. The most common system for grading gliomas is called the WHO system (because the World Health Organization approves it). In the WHO system, there are four grades of tumors. Grade I tumors are the slowest growing and least aggressive tumors, while grade IV tumors are the fastest growing and most aggressive.There are also other systems used at individual institutions, so it is worth asking a doctor to explain what system he or she is using. |
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