What to Know about Brain Cancer at Stage 4

What to Know about Brain Cancer at Stage 4 Cancer is known as the most deadly disease. There are 5 stages of cancer all together and stage 4 is the last phase of cancer. What are the characteristics of stage four Brain Cancer? How can it be diagnosed and treated? How long is someone in stage 4 supposed to live?

What is stage 4 brain cancer?
1. Characteristics
As mentioned above, every cancer stage has its own characteristics that are different from those in other stages. These are the characteristics of this stage:

• Brain cells outgrow blood supply in stage 4


• These cells grow rapidly


• Brain Tumors in stage 4 also spread to other tissues


• New blood vessels also tend to grow during this cancer stage

2. Symptoms
The symptoms at this level are stated according to their location in the body. Stage 4 brain cancer symptoms are:

• Hearing problems


• Lethargy


• Lack of coordination


• Memory loss


• Hallucinations


• Vision problems


• Weakness and Numbness in Legs and arms


• Seizures


• Nausea


• Vomiting


• Behavior change


• Changes in weight


• Frequent and unusual Headaches


• Dizziness

3. Types
Although most brain cancers fall under stage 4 cancer, it is important to classify them as they ought to be. More on the types of cancer is that they are classified depending on the origin of the tumor. According to (WHO) World Health Organization, there are 9 types of brain cancer but will only discuss a few here. Some of these cancers are:

• Ependymoblastoma
  This is a type of cancer in young children and infants. It usually appears in that part of the brain that contains cerebrospinal fluid.
  
  


• Glioblastoma
  This is the second type of brain cancer. This cancer originates from the cerebral hemisphere and takes about 12% of all the brain cancers. This cancer originates from astrocytes. Astrocytes are types of brain cells.
  
  


• Medulloblastomas
  This is another type of brain cancer found in children. It originates in the Cerebellum">Cerebellum before spreading to other parts of the body.
  
  


• Pineoblastomas
  This type of cancer occurs in the pineal gland. This refers to the pine shaped gland in the vertebrae part of the brain.
  
  

4. Prognosis and life expectancy
In order to determine the chances for survival of a cancer patient, it is important to understand the type of cancer they have. This is because there are different factors that determine life expectancy. Some of the factors that determine survival rate as follows:

• Nature of the cancer


• Treatment received


• Cancer stage at which the disease was diagnosed


• Age of patient


• Type of cancer


• Physical and mental factors

Depending on the stage of the tumor, life expectancy is anywhere from a few months to five years.

• The average life expectancy for patients over 60 is about 1 - 2 years.


• An adult (below 40) is likely to live with the cancer for more than 5 years.


• The 5 year survival rate for stage 4 cancer in infants is lower than 30%.


• Patients with glioblastoma are known to live for less than a year. This is the average time they are known to survive.


• 88% of Pineoblastoma patients live for a year while those suffering from ependymoblastoma are known to die after the first 6 and 12 months of diagnosis.


• Those with medulloblastoma have an average of 5 year. It is only between 50 and 70% that survive here. This is according to the National Cancer Institute.

5. Treatments
Stage 4 brain cancer spreads at a very high rate, treatment begins immediately after diagnosis. Surgery, radiation and chemotherapy are examples of cancer treatments at stage 4. It is only after a scan is done that the doctor progresses with the treatment. A biopsy is also helpful in analyzing tumors.

• Surgery
  This is where doctors try to remove all the tumors in the brain. They open the skull and remove all the visible tumors without damaging any tissues in the brain.
  
  


• Radiation and chemotherapy
  Patients receive chemotherapy after either 2 or 3 weeks of surgery. During chemotherapy, more than one type of drug is used to destroy the cancer cells. This is not the case in radiation. This is because radiation uses ions and not drugs. It is these ions that target the tumor for destruction.
  
  

What are the stages of brain cancer?
A brain tumor is the uncontrolled growth of damaged cells in the brain. This growth also spreads to the spinal column causing more harm to the body. Below is a table detailing the stages, besides stage 4 brain cancer:

Stage zero	This is the stage where the cancer has only developed in layers on a particular cell. It is the early stages of brain cancer.
Stage one	Although the cells are already infected, they appear normal. This is because it is hard to see the cancer cells at this stage. The good thing about the cancer in this stage is that it can be cured. Surgery is the most preferred method of treating stage 1 cancer.
Stage two	Although the cancer cells are growing at a very high rate in this stage, the cancer is still curable or could be treated. Apparently, chances are that cancer is bound to return even after treatment. This is because it has already spread to most tissues in the body and thus hard to clear.
Stage three	In this stage, the already damaged cells are growing rapidly. Besides spreading in the brain, these cells begin to spread to other tissues in the body
Stage four (metastasis)	This is the scariest cancer stage. This is because the disease has already spread to almost all parts of the body and chances of curing it are low. In other words, it is hard to treat stage 4 cancer.

Stage 4 Brain Cancer

Stage 4 Brain Cancer

Cancer is known as the most deadly disease. There are five stages of cancer all together and stage 4 is the last phase of cancer. What are the characteristics of stage 4 Brain Cancer? How can it be diagnosed and treated? How long is someone in Stage 4 Brain Cancer supposed to live?

What is stage 4 brain cancer?
1. Characteristics
As mentioned above, every cancer stage has its own characteristics that are different from those in other stages. These are the characteristics of stage 4 brain cancer:

• Brain cells outgrow blood supply in stage 4
• These cells grow rapidly
• Brain Tumors in stage 4 also spread to other tissues
• New blood vessels also tend to grow during this cancer stage

2. Symptoms
The symptoms at this level are stated according to their location in the body. Stage 4 brain cancer symptoms are:

• Hearing problems
• Lethargy
• Lack of coordination
• Memory loss
• Hallucinations
• Vision problems
• Weakness and Numbness In Legs and arms
• Seizures
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Behavior change
• Changes in weight
• Frequent and unusual Headaches
• Dizziness

3. Types
Although most brain cancers fall under stage 4 cancer, it is important to classify them as they ought to be. More on the types of cancer is that they are classified depending on the origin of the tumor. According to (WHO) World Health Organization, there are 9 types of brain cancer but will only discuss a few here. Some of these cancers are:

• Ependymoblastoma This is a type of cancer in young children and infants. It usually appears in that part of the brain that contains cerebrospinal fluid.
  
  
• Glioblastoma This is the second type of brain cancer. This cancer originates from the cerebral hemisphere and takes about 12% of all the brain cancers. This cancer originates from astrocytes. Astrocytes are types of brain cells.
  
  
• Medulloblastomas This is another type of brain cancer found in children. It originates in the Cerebellum before spreading to other parts of the body.
  
  
• Pineoblastomas This type of cancer occurs in the pineal gland. This refers to the pine shaped gland in the vertebrae part of the brain.
  
  

4. Prognosis and life expectancy
In order to determine the chances for survival of a cancer patient, it is important to understand the type of cancer they have. This is because there are different factors that determine life expectancy. Some of the factors that determine survival rate as follows:

• Nature of the cancer
• Treatment received
• Cancer stage at which the disease was diagnosed
• Age of patient
• Type of cancer
• Physical and mental factors

Depending on the stage of the tumor, life expectancy is anywhere from a few months to five years.

• The average life expectancy for patients over 60 is about 1 - 2 years.
• An adult (below 40) is likely to live with the cancer for more than 5 years.
• The 5 year survival rate for stage 4 cancer in infants is lower than 30%.
• Patients with glioblastoma are known to live for less than a year. This is the average time they are known to survive.
• 88% of Pineoblastoma patients live for a year while those suffering from ependymoblastoma are known to die after the first 6 and 12 months of diagnosis.
• Those with medulloblastoma have an average of 5 year. It is only between 50 and 70% that survive here. This is according to the National Cancer Institute.

5. Treatments
As cancer at this stage spreads at a very high rate, treatment begins immediately after diagnosis. Surgery, radiation and chemotherapy are examples of cancer treatments at stage 4. It is only after a scan is done that the doctor progresses with the treatment. A biopsy is also helpful in analyzing tumors.

• Surgery This is where doctors try to remove all the tumors in the brain. They open the skull and remove all the visible tumors without damaging any tissues in the brain.
  
  
• Radiation and chemotherapy Patients receive chemotherapy after either 2 or 3 weeks of surgery. During chemotherapy, more than one type of drug is used to destroy the cancer cells. This is not the case in radiation. This is because radiation uses ions and not drugs. It is these ions that target the tumor for destruction.
  
  

What are the stages of brain cancer?
A brain tumor is the uncontrolled growth of damaged cells in the brain. This growth also spreads to the spinal column causing more harm to the body. Below is a table detailing the stages of a brain cancer:

Stage zero	This is the stage where the cancer has only developed in layers on a particular cell. It is the early stages of brain cancer.
Stage one	Although the cells are already infected, they appear normal. This is because it is hard to see the cancer cells at this stage. The good thing about the cancer in this stage is that it can be cured. Surgery is the most preferred method of treating stage 1 cancer.
Stage two	Although the cancer cells are growing at a very high rate in this stage, the cancer is still curable or could be treated. Apparently, chances are that cancer is bound to return even after treatment. This is because it has already spread to most tissues in the body and thus hard to clear.
Stage three	In this stage, the already damaged cells are growing rapidly. Besides spreading in the brain, these cells begin to spread to other tissues in the body
Stage four (metastasis)	This is the scariest cancer stage. This is because the disease has already spread to almost all parts of the body and chances of curing it are low. In other words, it is hard to treat stage 4 cancer.

Brain Cancer

Brain Cancer






Tumors can form anywhere in the body. The central nervous system of our body is made up of two parts namely the brain and spinal cord. Any abnormal growths or tumors in the brain/spine are called as brain cancer. Primary brain tumors are one that originates in the brain and metastatic brain tumors are tumors that start in other parts of the body and spreads (metastasizes) to the brain.

Not all the brain tumors are malignant (cancer causing) some are benign (non-cancerous). Generally malignant tumors grow quickly and progresses to brain and other parts. Even benign tumors need to be treated since it can exert pressure on the nearby tissues causing inflammation. Like any other cell of the body, malignant cells also absorb nutrients and blood and grow to survive occupying space in the brain or at the place where it forms.

Brain cancer can occur to anyone. Till date, exact cause of brain cancer is not known. It is believed to develop due to accumulation of cells in particular spot forming tumor. Treatment for brain cancer depends on its size, shape and its intensity and the age of the patient. Prognosis of brain cancer depends on the stage of cancer, its size and on the age of the patient. In the USA alone, 6 out of 1000 people develop some type of brain cancer. As per the data given by the National Cancer Institute of America, each year about 22,000 new cases of brain cancer are being reported out of which 15,300 patients die.

Brain Cancer Types :

As said earlier, brain cancer is of two types namely primary and metastatic. As more and more cells begin to grow and multiply they form a tumor undergoing repeated mutation in abnormal fashion. The cells lose its original characters giving rise to mass or tumor.

• Primary brain cancer originates in the brain and some of the common types are Gliomas, Pituitary Adenomas, Meningiomas and vestibular schwannomas. Glioblastomas, oligodendrogliomas, astrocytomas and ependymomas are sub-types of gliomas.


• Metastatic brain cancer originates in any other part of the body and moves to the brain forming a tumor. Metastatic brain tumor is the most popular type of brain cancer.

Brain Cancer Causes :

Exact cause of brain cancer is not known. It is believed to occur due to combination of multiple factors like genetic and environmental factors. Over-exposure to radiation on the head, persistent smoking and drinking and having immune-compromised diseases like HIV/AIDS increases the chance of getting brain cancer. It is still a mystery why certain people get brain cancer and others not.

Brain cancer .Vs. Cell Phones :

At present there has been an increasing concern over cell phone usage and whether it would cause brain cancer. Many websites and media were discussing about this issue. Following this, the International Agency of Research on Cancer included “cell phones” in the list of items that are carcinogenic. However no concrete evidence is available to correlate cell phone usage and brain cancer.

Symptoms of Brain Cancer :

Most of the time, brain cancer are asymptomatic until they are fully grown and advanced in size and intensity. There are no specific symptoms related to brain cancer and the sign of brain tumor matches with that of other diseases also. Tumor that has formed in the brain can exert pressure on the nearby tissues causing inflammation and swelling of brain. This can produce symptoms like Headaches, seizures, difficulty in concentrating and weakness. The symptoms are not the same for all people with brain tumor. Some people may have problems in walking and changes in mood, changes in vision and difficulty in speech.

The level of alertness and memory may alter in such persons and there can be gradual change in his/her intellectual capacity. The above signs do not occur all of a sudden and often they develop gradually and it is possible for many people to relate these symptoms to other illnesses. In rare cases the symptoms can develop suddenly requiring immediate medical attention.

Points To Consider :

These are some factors for consideration to indicate that something is seriously wrong in your body.

• Persistent vomiting (without any obvious cause)


• Unexplained seizures (without any medical history of neurological problem)


• Unexplained headaches (moderate to severe)


• Blurring of vision or double vision (mostly on one eye)


• Extreme tiredness and having a tendency to sleep more


• Change in mental status, problems in concentration and memory


• Slurred speech or difficulty in choosing right words


• Difficulty in walking


• Nausea/vomiting

If you have any or some of the above signs (without any specific cause) you need to get your health examined by a neurologist, without delay, since it can be due to developing brain tumor.

Tests :

Based on the symptoms, your doctor would order for imaging tests like CT/MRI scan of the brain. The results would give accurate picture of the brain tumor including its growth and staging. Biopsy is often done by removing tumor sample to test it in the lab. Surgery is to be done for biopsy test wherein the surgeon would make a tiny hole on the skull to insert a needle through which small tissue sample of the tumor is removed. This procedure is called sterotactic biopsy. In addition, your doctor may request for other tests like blood analysis, electrolyte tests and liver function test.

Treatment :

Your doctor/surgeon would consider several factors like your age, size and type of brain tumor and its stage before deciding on treatment. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation are often used for treating brain cancer.

• Surgery :

Skull is often fully opened if the tumor is big in size and malignant. The entire tumor cells can be removed in this process. Excess secretion of cerebrospinal fluid would be drained off through a shunt. Your surgeon would have to determine whether the patient is suitable for surgery.

• Radiation :

High powered energy rays are used in radiation method. People who are not fit for surgery would be considered for this approach. Radiation can be given externally from a source wherein the beam penetrates the skin and into the skull to destroy cancerous growth in the brain. Radiation therapy is usually repeated for several days to get the desired result. For some people, radiation is given internally in the form of implant wherein tiny capsule is placed well inside the tumor which releases high powered energy beam to destroy the tumor.

• Chemotherapy :

Medications are given either orally or by injection shots in this method. Chemo is often done in cycles starting with intensive treatment followed by resting which would be repeated for weeks together. One or more therapies are often combined with surgery to get the best result. Follow up is absolutely necessary in all cases to prevent recurrence.

Images, Pics, Photos and Pictures of Brain Cancer :

Side Effects of Brain Cancer Treatment :

Any cancer treatment is not without side effect. Brain surgery can cause swelling of brain and seizures. Some people may develop change in mental status and reduced brain function after the surgery. But not all the people undergoing surgery develop side effects. In chemotherapy and radiation method, the drugs given for killing cancerous cells can also destroy healthy cells.

Strong medications can affect the function of vital organs like kidneys. Another great disadvantage of chemo is impairment of immune system which in turn would make the body prone to many infections. Other minor side effects of chemotherapy are hair loss, nausea, vomiting and fatigue.

Prognosis :

If the cancer is in early stage and the patient is of young age then the prognosis and rate of survival is high and vice versa. Given with improved medical techniques and expert team of doctors, the prognosis of brain cancer is getting better and better.