Brain Tumors

[Snowmom]

Brain tumors

 

I had written part of this last week and then worked on it now.

 

This is a tumor that I have been looking into as this is the kind my sister has, what she has is called, Glioblastoma. I have found so many things on line and have read only a small amount. But, here is something that the Cancer Center near Chicago, IL has to say. I'll put the site url in first then some of the information. I'm think the one she has is what they are talking about as Astrocytomas.

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http://www.cancercenter.com/brain-cancer.cfm

 

Tumors that originate in brain tissue are called primary brain tumors. When cancer develops elsewhere in the body and spreads to the brain, it is known as a secondary tumor. Primary brain tumors are categorized by the type of tissue in which they first develop. The most common brain tumors are called glioma; they originate in the glial (supportive) tissue. There are a number of different types of gliomas:

 

Astrocytomas develop from small, star-shaped cells called astrocytes. They may arise anywhere in the brain or spinal cord. In adults, astrocytomas most often occur in the cerebrum, which is the largest part of the brain. The cerebrum fills most of the upper skull, and uses sensory information to tell us what is going on around us and tells our body how to respond. The left hemisphere controls the muscles on the right side of the body, while the right hemisphere controls the muscles on the left. The cerebrum also controls speech and emotions, as well as reading, thinking, and learning.

 

Brain stem gliomas arise in the brain stem, which controls many vital functions such as body temperature, blood pressure, breathing, hunger and thirst. The brain stem connects the brain with the spinal cord. Tumors in this area generally cannot be removed. Most brain stem gliomas are high-grade astrocytomas.

 

Ependymomas usually occur in the lining of the ventricles, or in the spinal cord. Although ependymomas can develop at any age, they most commonly arise in children and adolescents.

 

Oligodendrogliomas develop in the cells that produce myelin, the fatty covering that protects nerves. These tumors are very rare, and usually occur in the cerebrum. They are slow growing and generally do not spread into surrounding brain tissue. While they occur most often in middle-aged adults, they have been found in people of all ages.

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There is a lot more to read on this site, but I am only putting this amount and you can go to the site to read more.

 

 

Ok, I started this when we thought my sister had a Glioblastoma tumor, but, after a few days, it was changed and she has, an Astrocytoma tumor. This is a lower grade tumor and it may be treatable. In fact, she is now said to have grade 2.

 

Here are some sites with information about them.

 

http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Cancertype/...rocytoma#356356

 

This is just a small paragraph that is on the page.

 

Grading

Grading refers to the appearance of the cancer cells under the microscope. The grade gives an idea of how quickly the cancer may develop. There are four grades: grades 1 and 2 (low-grade), grade 3 (moderate-grade) and grade 4 (high-grade). Low-grade means that the cancer cells look very like the normal cells of the brain. They are usually slow-growing and are not likely to spread. In high-grade tumours the cells look very abnormal. They are likely to grow more quickly and are more likely to spread to other parts of the brain.

 

Grade 4 tumours are also known as glioblastoma multiforme, and are the most malignant.

 

http://www.stjude.org/disease-summaries/0,2557,449_2160_2985,00.html

 

And another site is:

 

http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic2693.htm

 

There are so many brain tumors and it is probably hard to decide which one a person has at first. After a few tests on the cancer cells, they can have a more definite picture of what it is.

[Momo]

One of our neighbors recently died of brain cancer at the age 0f 40. We often wonder if the fact that they lived directly under a large transmission line for power had anything to do with it.

 

There are many theories that some of the external causes of brain tumors are cell phones and electric lines. Hopefully, more research will soon help us find if there are other causes and how much is genetically disposed.

[Snowmom]

I do hope they can find help for those with cancer and one day find a cure.

 

My sister doesn't use a cell phone much at all, and they don't live close to those big power lines either, I think it is just one of those things.

 

I do know that there are some things that cause some diseases, and that they found that agent orange did a lot of damage to a lot of people.

 

We just never know, do we.