American Medical Association Family Medical Guide - American Medical Association [424]
Most spinal cord injuries result in permanent damage. Research is currently being done on ways to stimulate muscles to restore some degree of function. Drugs are being tested to try to improve the conduction of impulses through the damaged surviving nerve fibers.
Brain Tumor
A brain tumor is an abnormal growth in the brain that can be either benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Whether cancerous or not cancerous, a brain tumor is always dangerous because the skull makes it impossible for a growing tumor to expand anywhere but inward, into the brain. If untreated, a brain tumor can grow and cause permanent brain damage or death.
Cancerous brain tumors that originate in the brain (called primary brain cancer) are less common than cancerous tumors that have spread to the brain from another part of the body such as the breasts or lungs (called secondary, or metastatic, brain cancer). Primary brain tumors, which may be congenital (present at birth) or acquired later in life, seldom spread to other parts of the body. Secondary brain tumors, like most cancers, are more common later in life.
Symptoms
As a brain tumor enlarges, it may cause headaches that are worse in the morning or when you lie down. Over time, the headaches may become more severe and may be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Other symptoms—such as blurred or double vision, dizziness, muscle weakness or loss of sensation (such as in the face or on one side of the body), hearing or memory loss, seizures, or a change in behavior—may develop, depending on the location of the brain tumor.
Diagnosis
If you have symptoms of a brain tumor, your doctor will refer you to a neurologist (a doctor who specializes in disorders of the nervous system). The neurologist will order a CT scan (see page 112) or MRI (see page 113) to determine if you have a brain tumor. If a tumor is found, the neurologist will order X-rays of other parts of your body, such as your chest, because of the possibility that the brain tumor originated elsewhere. He or she may recommend an angiogram (see page 110) to help identify the type of tumor, and to see if it is pressing on blood vessels. The neurologist may order an electroencephalogram (EEG; see page 687) to determine if the tumor is causing seizures.
Treatment
Corticosteroids to reduce swelling and surgery are usually the initial treatments for a primary brain tumor. A sample of tissue (biopsy) taken during the surgery can help determine the type of brain tumor and the best course of treatment. Surgery to remove a noncancerous tumor is most successful if the tumor is detected at an early stage. It is usually not possible to successfully remove multiple secondary brain tumors. However, a single metastatic tumor can sometimes be removed. If removing a tumor could cause permanent brain damage, a surgeon may be able to remove part of the tumor to reduce pressure on the brain and relieve the symptoms.
Instead of surgery, or if a cancerous tumor cannot be removed completely by surgery, your doctor may use radiation therapy (see page 23) or chemotherapy (see page 23) to destroy the tumor cells. Some tumors that cannot be reached using conventional surgery can be treated by implanting radioactive seeds into the tumor or by using a device called a gamma knife, which directs focused radiation at the tumor.
Your doctor may prescribe antiseizure medications to control seizures, strong pain relievers to relieve the pain of severe headaches, and corticosteroids to reduce inflammation and swelling and relieve pressure