ALTERNATIVE THERAPRIES SERIES :32 BRAIN CANCER

Kay Kay Healthcare Ltd.

BRAIN CANCER


SYMPTOMS

Most brain tumors do not show symptoms until they attain a certain size. Symptoms associated with increase pressure on the brain from a tumor include:

• Persistent headaches that get worse over a period of weeks and are often more intense when lying down.

• Vomiting, sometimes but not always accompanied by nausea.

• Sudden onset of seizures.

• Inexplicable changes in personality or mental ability.

Symptoms that vary according to the type and location of the tumor include:

• Sudden vision loss, speech problems, or other changes in the sense.

• Localize weakness or paralysis, especially in the limbs.

• Impaired memory.

• Loss of coordination or balance.

WHAT IS BRAIN CANCER

Primary brain cancer – cancer that originates in the brain itself is rare, accounting for only 1 percent of all cancers and about 2.5 percent of all cancer deaths. However, one in four patient with cancer elsewhere in the body eventually develop metastatic, or secondary, brain cancer. Brain cancer can occur at any age, but most often it strikes young children and middle age adults. Brain tumours whose cells do not spread are considered benign, in contrast to malignant tumours, or cancer, whose cells multiply uncontrollably and can spread throughout the body. But no brain tumour is harmless: anything that takes up space in the skull, even a noncancerous growth, can exert pressure on delicate brain tissue, produce sever pain, cause irreversible neurological damage, and threaten life. The symptoms and prognosis for recovery vary according to the location of the tumour and type of brain cells involved.

CAUSES

The causes of primary brain cancer are unknown sometimes it runs in families, implying a genetic link. Other research suggest ties to chemical such as vinyl chloride, certain herbicides and pesticides, or overexposures to electromagnetic fields. A few rare disease, such as tuberous sclerosis and multiple intestinal polypus’s, are also associated with brain cancer.

DIAGNOSTIC AND TEST PROCEDURES

Diagnosis of a brain tumour begins with a complete physical examination and neurological testing. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI) scans will locate and identify tumour. If taking a tissue biopsy is feasible, it can confirm or rule out the presence of cancer cells. X-rays and other tests determine whether cancer exists elsewhere in the body.

TREATMENT

While research for cure continues, there is no acceptable substitute for conventional medical treatment for cancer. Although many alternative therapies those outside mainstream medicine can enhance the benefits of standard care, none is a proven cancer cure. Alternative cancer therapies should be considered potential complements to, but not replacements for, conventional care.

CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE

Curing brain cancer depends on where the tumour is located and how far the malignancy has spread. Advance in computers assisted surgery now let surgeon treat cancer that were once considered inoperable. Whenever possible, a brain tumour is treated surgically. If it can be removed, the patient may recover fully. After surgery, radiation therapy and sometimes chemotherapy are prescribe to make sure stray cancer cells are killed. But some brain tumours are located to deep in the brain to be removed even partially without causing severe brain damage. In such cases, treatment is limited to chemotherapy and a refined radiation therapy that trains laser beams on the tumour, neither is likely to provide a cure, but they may grow the slow the growth of cancer cells, control symptoms, and prolong the patient’s life. When cure is impossible, the main goals of treatment are to provide comfort and preserve neurological function. Various drugs, including analgesics, anticonvulsants, and corticosteroids, may be given to relieve pain, control seizures, and reduce brain swelling. Because tumours often cause residual brain damage, a patient may require physical or mental rehabilitative therapy. For further information on radiation, chemotherapy, and other treatments, see cancer.

COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES

While many brain cancer suffers can handle everyday activities, the strain of the disease and the side effects of radiation and chemotherapy may eventually be debilitating. A number of alternative therapies can provide relief from such stresses, among them hydrotherapy, therapeutic touch, yoga, guided imagery, meditation, and biofeedback. Various forms of body work, including massage and reflexology, may also help.

GENE THERAPY

Foreign genes not scalpels or laser beams may prove to be the ultimate weapon against brain cancer, if promising test result are confirmed. Scientists at the national institutes of health have been refining a type of gene therapy that kills brain cancer cells by altering them genetically. This ingenious therapy is designed to make cancer cell destroying drug, while leaving healthy brain cells, alone and intact. When therapy was tested on rats, tumours virtually disappeared in 11 of 14 animals. In the first human trial, tumour shrank, significantly in 5 of 8 patients, all of whom had previously failed to respond to conventional treatment. While further testing and refinement are needed, this new gene therapy may hold great promise for the future.