As the name suggests, Brain cancer is cancer of the brain, the central information processing core of the body. Brain cancer can either be primary or metastatic. Primary brain cancer is caused by brain tumor/s and starts in the brain tissue while metastatic brain cancer is cancer originating from other parts of the body but spreads to the brain.
Brain tumors can be benign or malignant. Benign tumors are noncancerous and tend to grow/invade one area. Nevertheless, they can be dangerous when they press on vital parts of an organ like the tissues, nerves and blood vessels. Malignant tumors are cancerous. Both benign and malignant brain tumors tend to occur at any age.
Primary and metastatic brain cancers are life-threatening. In fact, more than 80,000 new primary brain tumors are diagnosed every year, 32% of them being malignant. Several factors determine the survival rate of individuals diagnosed with brain cancer. The main factors include; medical history, age and the stage of cancer development.
Like all types of cancer, it is important to detect brain cancer early. To do this, you need to know the signs or symptoms of the cancer otherwise you won’t know when to seek immediate medical attention. Below is a list of potential brain cancer signs to look out for.
Important: Some brain cancer warning signs are subtle to the extent that they can easily go unnoticed. Some are also common with other types of diseases and conditions.
Headaches
Headaches are common signs of many illnesses. We all get headaches periodically, and in most instances, the underlying issues are not serious. That is the main reason why many people don’t associate headaches with serious health problems like cancer yet most cancers cause headaches. However, if you start getting severe headaches that occur in the morning or when you engage yourself physically, you could have brain cancer. There are research studies attesting to this fact. Brain cancer-related headaches are most severe when you wake up and during physical activities.
Remember, headaches aren’t typical early warning signs but tend to occur when the brain tumor is big enough.
