It is most common in men! “Although not all of them are fatal, they must be kept under control.” If you have these symptoms, consult a doctor immediately.

Firstly talking about the definition of brain tumor, Op. Dr. Selçuk Gözcü said, “Tumor means a tissue that forms in a place in our body that should not be there, or the uncontrolled growth of any tissue where it should be. Fat glands and moles on our body, which we do not pay much attention to, can also be considered as tumors. However, although not all tumors are lethal, brain tissue has an exceptional situation in brain tumors. Benign tumors can also be lethal because the brain is located in a closed chamber within the skull. “For this reason, although not all brain tumors are lethal, they must be kept under control and treated correctly,” he said.

Op. also talked about the frequency of brain tumors in society. Dr. Gözcü said, “It is between 3-5 per 100 thousand people. It is more common in yellow people and in men than in women. Benign meningiomas are more common in women. Brain tumor is seen in almost every age range. At the same time, brain tumors differ according to age. For example; Malignant brain tumors are more common in children and those over the age of 60. “Benign brain tumors are more common in the remaining age groups,” he said.

Dr. also gave information about how to detect brain tumors. Gözcü said, “Choosing a fully equipped hospital affects the success of both diagnosis and treatment. A rough idea about the type of brain tumor is obtained by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), which is the gold standard in brain tumor diagnosis, and then it is clearly understood whether there is a brain tumor or not by pathology laboratory examination. Detailed demonstration and identification of brain tumors with advanced radiological imaging methods are extremely important for planning treatment. Technological developments provide great convenience in diagnosis and identification of pathologies. ‘CT angiography’, performed by administering contrast material to the patient, has an important place in the diagnosis of cerebrovascular diseases. In this way, the structure of the vessels can be easily visualized. The prominent imaging method in the evaluation of brain tissue and diseases is MRI, that is, ‘Magnetic Resonance’.

While it is possible to obtain information only about the anatomical and structural state of the brain with standard MRI imaging, new technologies can also obtain information about the metabolic, biochemical and hemodynamic structure of the brain. Performing a biopsy using known methods to obtain information about lesions in the brain can be difficult, risky and time-consuming. With advanced MRI imaging methods, it can be determined whether the suspected lesion in the brain is a tumor or not. With advanced MR imaging methods such as diffusion MR, DTI MR, Functional MR, Perfusion MR and MR spectroscopy, the extent of the tumor, its type, metabolic-biochemical structure, and its relationship with the areas and pathways that enable speech, vision and movement can be evaluated. “The data obtained with advanced MRI imaging methods help determine treatment approaches,” he said.

Finally, giving warnings about the symptoms and underlining that they should not be ignored, Gözcü said, “Symptoms of brain tumor can be listed as vomiting, severe headache, speech and vision impairment, weakness in arms and legs. He concluded his speech by saying, “People with symptoms of brain tumor should consult a brain surgeon or neurologist.”

(UAV)