Brain tumor history and symptoms

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Brain tumor Microchapters
Patient Information
Overview
Classification Adult brain tumors Glioblastoma multiforme Oligodendroglioma Meningioma Hemangioblastoma Pituitary adenoma Schwannoma Primary CNS lymphoma Childhood brain tumors Pilocytic astrocytoma Medulloblastoma Ependymoma Craniopharyngioma Pinealoma Metastasis Lung cancer Breast cancer Melanoma Gastrointestinal tract cancer Renal cell carcinoma Osteoblastoma Head and neck cancer Neuroblastoma Lymphoma Prostate cancer
Causes
Differentiating Brain Tumor from other Diseases

Overview

The most common symptoms of brain tumors are headache, seizures, visual changes and changes in personality, mood and concentration.

History and Symptoms

Symptoms include phantom odors and tastes. Often, in the case of metastatic tumors, the smell of vulcanized rubber is prevalent.

General symptoms include the following:

• Headaches
• Seizures
• Visual changes
• Gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, loss of appetite, and vomiting
• Changes in personality, mood, mental capacity, and concentration

Seizures are a presenting symptom in approximately 20% of patients with supratentorial brain tumors and may antedate the clinical diagnosis by months to years in patients with slow-growing tumors. Among all patients with brain tumors, 70% with primary parenchymal tumors and 40% with metastatic brain tumors develop seizures at some time during the clinical course.

Headaches caused by brain tumors may:

• Be worse when the person wakes up in the morning, and clear up in a few hours
• Occur during sleep
• Occur with vomiting, confusion, double vision, weakness, or numbness
• Get worse with coughing or exercise, or with a change in body position

Other symptoms may include:

• Change in alertness (including sleepiness, unconsciousness, and coma
• Changes in hearing
• Changes in taste or smell
• Changes that affect touch and the ability to feel pain, pressure, different temperatures, or other stimuli
• Clumsiness
• Confusion or memory loss
• Difficulty swallowing
• Difficulty writing or reading
• Dizziness or abnormal sensation of movement (vertigo)
• Eye problems

• • Eyelid drooping
  • Uncontrollable movements

• Hand tremor
• Lack of control over the bladder or bowels
• Loss of balance
• Muscle weakness in the face, arm, or leg (usually on just one side)
• Numbness or tingling on one side of the body
• Problems with eyesight, including decreased vision, double vision, or total loss of vision
• Trouble speaking or understanding others who are speaking
• Trouble walking

Other symptoms that may occur with a pituitary tumor:

• Abnormal nipple discharge
• Absent menstruation (periods)
• Breast development in men
• Enlarged hands, feet
• Excessive body hair
• Facial changes
• Low blood pressure
• Obesity
• Sensitivity to heat or cold