Brain tumour symptoms and brain tumour signs
Brain tumours are rare and there are many other reasons for having some of the brain tumour symptoms described here. But if your symptoms do not go away or if you are worried, see your doctor.
What are the symptoms of a brain tumour?
Doctors talk about brain tumour symptoms and brain tumour signs.
• Brain tumour symptoms are abnormal changes you may have noticed about yourself.
• Brain tumour signs are what other people may have noticed about you. For example, you have become more forgetful, or you need to sleep more.
Your symptoms will depend on how big your brain tumour is, where it is, what grade it is and how fast it is growing. Symptoms that might suggest a brain tumour include:
• Headaches
Headaches which are worse in the morning and may wake you at night. They are usually different from headaches you may have had before.
• Nausea and vomiting
If you also have a headache, being sick could mean there is increased pressure in your head (intracranial pressure).
• Seizures
Epileptic seizures are caused by a disturbance in the electrical activity of the brain. They always start in the brain.
What happens to the person during the seizure depends on where in the brain this disrupted activity happens.
• Weakness, loss of sensation or numbness
This could be a sign of pressure on a specific part of the brain and can also cause you to walk unsteadily, lack coordination or have muscle weakness on one side of the body.
• Hearing loss
This could be a sign of an acoustic neuroma, a benign tumour growing on a nerve in the ear.
• Loss/disturbance of vision, including double vision
This could happen in one or both eyes, if there is a tumour pressing on the optic nerve or affecting the visual pathways.
• Speech difficulties
This may also include the loss of the ability to write or understand words.
• Other symptoms
Lack of concentration, confusion, memory loss, disorientation, drowsiness, dramatic change in behaviour.
What causes the symptoms?
Brain tumours cause symptoms in two ways, either because the space it takes up in the skull puts pressure on the brain, or because of where in the brain it is growing.
Symptoms caused by increased pressure in the skull:
The first way in which brain tumours can cause symptoms is by increasing the pressure inside the skull.
The brain is housed within the skull and has a limited amount of space. If a tumour grows in the brain it can cause an increase in pressure, which can cause symptoms to develop.
An increase of pressure in the skull is called raised intracranial pressure (ICP).
Early symptoms of a rise in the pressure in the brain are headaches and feeling sick.
Of course, many other things can cause headaches or feelings of sickness, but if you have either of these for over a week with no sign of getting better, you should see your doctor.
A pressure headache may be at its worst in the mornings, and can sometimes even wake you at night. Usually this type of headache gets better during the day. However, it may get worse when you cough, sneeze, bend down or do any hard physical work, because these activities raise pressure in the brain.
If the pressure in the brain makes you sick, it may be worse in the morning. You may be sick if you have hiccups.
A later symptom of a brain tumour is drowsiness. This can happen as the pressure in the brain increases. You may find that you sleep more or that you fall asleep during the day.
Raised pressure in the brain can also cause changes to your vision, such as blurred vision, 'floating objects' and tunnel vision. It may also make you confused or affect your balance.
Seizures:
Epilepsy is another common symptom caused by brain tumours.
Epileptic seizures are caused by a disturbance in the electrical activity of the brain.
What happens to the person during the seizure depends on where in the brain this disrupted activity happens.
A seizure does not necessarily mean you have a brain tumour, but it is important to see a doctor to find out what has caused it so that the cause can be treated.
Symptoms caused by the tumour's position in the brain:
Some symptoms can happen because the brain tumour is pressing onto or growing into other nearby tissues of the brain. Each area of the brain controls certain functions. A tumour may stop a particular area of the brain from working normally.
What symptoms you have will depend on exactly where the tumour is and how much damage it is causing.
Some of the symptoms are listed below, but remember this is only a guide. Only a doctor can make a diagnosis using medical tests.
Frontal lobe tumours − Changes in personality and intellect. Uncoordinated walking or weakness of one side of the body. Loss of smell, difficulty in understanding words or speaking.
Parietal lobe − Difficulty in speaking or understanding words. Problems with writing, reading or doing simple calculations. Difficulty in coordinating certain movements, and finding your way around. Numbness or weakness on one side of the body.
Occipital lobe − Gradual loss of vision on one side.
Temporal lobe − Seizures, which may cause strange sensations: a feeling of fear or intense familiarity (déjà vu), strange smells or blackouts. Speech difficulties and memory problems.
Cerebellum − Lack of coordination when walking and talking (dysarthria), unsteadiness, flickering movement of the eyes (nystagmus). Vomiting and neck stiffness.
Brain stem − Unsteadiness and an uncoordinated walking. Facial weakness, a one-sided smile or drooping eyelid. Double vision. Vomiting, difficulty in speaking and swallowing. Symptoms may appear gradually.
All the above symptoms may be caused by conditions other than a brain tumour, but if you do have any of the symptoms it is a good idea to see your doctor to find out what is causing them.
It is important to note that some brain tumours do not cause any symptoms at all for a long period of time. Symptoms are more likely to develop early on in high-grade tumours and more gradually with benign or slow-growing tumours. However, this is not always the case.
