Intracranial malignancies, depending on the type of tumor, occupy 3rd to 5th place in terms of prevalence among all oncological diseases – about 15 cases per hundred thousand people. Brain cancer holds high positions in terms of cancer-related mortality. Thanks to the latest treatment methods, Israeli oncologists and neurosurgeons treat hundreds of cancer patients with tumors in the central nervous system every year, prolonging their life and improving its quality.
Risk factors
The causes of brain cancer are still unknown. There are only some statistical observations and carcinogenic risk factors common to all oncological diseases.
- Men of European race are more likely to get brain cancer than women and representatives of other races.
- In people over 70 years old and in children under 8-10 years old, malignant tumors and benign neoplasms in the head are more common.
- High-dose radiation exposure, working in an unfavorable radiation environment, and excessive exposure to the sun can lead to the development of brain cancer.
- Poor ecology and harmful industrial environment. Constant contact with industrial carcinogens (solvents, pesticides, petroleum products, formaldehyde, vinyl chloride, acrylonitrile, etc.) can provoke formation of an intracranial cancer.
Secondary CNS cancer is caused by metastases of tumors of other organs. There is also some hereditary dependence. In addition, doctors associate the likelihood of a tumor forming in the brain with head injuries that could have occurred even a very long time ago.
Symptoms of brain cancer
The symptoms of this cancer can vary greatly depending on the type of tumor, its size and location. Benign neoplasms develop for a long time and are asymptomatic, until their large size leads to an increase in intracranial pressure and compression of certain brain centers responsible for a specific function – speech, vision, hearing, memory, etc.
Malignant cancerous tumors develop rapidly and with a sudden deterioration in health. Sometimes these symptoms are similar to stroke, viral meningitis, or encephalitis. Among common symptoms of brain cancer, doctors identify some of the most disturbing ones that stay present for a long time and do not respond to symptomatic treatment with medications.
- Headaches.
- Dizziness, hearing loss, and tinnitus.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Mental disorders.
Location of the tumor affects the appearance of some cancer symptoms which are specific for each part of the brain.
- Frontal lobes: apathy, reduced mental abilities and memory loss, a sharp change in mood – from aggression to complete pacification, frivolous and weird behaviour.
- Temporal: auditory, gustatory, and olfactory hallucinations.
- Parietal: painful sensations in the arms and legs.
- Parietal-temporal-occipital junction: visual hallucinations.
At the first stages of the development of a malignant tumor in the central nervous system, epileptic syndrome often appears.
Diagnostics
- Laboratory blood tests, including cancer markers.
- Computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography (CT, MRI, and PET).
- Stereotactic biopsy.
- Spinal tap.
Brain Cancer Treatment in Israel
Israeli clinics are equipped with the most advanced neurosurgical equipment, and all brain surgeries are becoming less invasive. Main methods of treating CNS cancer include:
- radiosurgery;
- microsurgery;
- targeted therapy;
- craniotomy;
- gentle chemotherapy;
- stem cell therapy.
The use of the most advanced neurosurgical and non-invasive methods of treating intracranial cancer in Israeli clinics, combined with the highest level of qualification of neurosurgeons, oncologists and radiologists, has made Israel a world center for medical tourism among brain cancer patients from all over the world.