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What is a brain sarcoma?
Unfortunately, a person of any age is susceptible to such a dangerous disease as brain sarcoma. Statistics show that the percentage of detection of brain sarcoma among the total number of oncological pathologies ranges from 0,6% to 2%.
The insidiousness of this disease lies in its late clinical manifestation. Usually a person is forced to see a doctor due to rapidly increasing discomfort, severe headaches and a deterioration in general health. But this happens when the brain sarcoma is already at stage 2-3.
Types of brain sarcoma
An oncological neoplasm that develops in the brain tissue and membrane is called sarcoma. The disease begins with the appearance of a specific node in the brain.
The characteristic hallmarks of brain sarcoma are:
fuzziness and blurring of the boundaries of malignant and healthy tissue areas;
aggression towards nearby cells;
the ability to quickly defeat neighboring structures.
Sarcoma is classified as a vascular-membrane disease and there are two types of its localization:
intracerebral, which does not have clearly defined boundaries, and is capable of rapid invasive growth and damage to neighboring tissues;
extracerebral, having more or less defined boundaries, but capable of growing into the brain tissue. In addition to the brain itself, it affects neighboring tissues and is characterized by high aggression, frequent relapses and metastasis. It is characterized by low survival, about 30-35% within two years. It is important here not to confuse sarcoma with meningioma, a benign neoplasm, so as not to lose precious time for quick treatment.
Causes and symptoms of brain sarcoma
In order to detect this formidable disease at an early stage, one should pay attention to the appearance of frequent unexplained headaches, which always precede more serious subsequent symptoms, such as:
uncoordination of movements and dizziness, vomiting;
manifestation of epileptic seizures;
mental and behavioral disorders;
short-term visual dysfunctions and possible complete atrophy of the optic nerve against the background of increased intracranial pressure;
frequent loss of consciousness;
elevated intracranial pressure;
partial and general paralysis.
It is noteworthy that the localization of the tumor predetermines specific distinctive symptoms. For example, if the sarcoma is located in the back of the brain, the patient’s vision suffers first of all, and if the temporal lobe is affected, hearing dysfunction is detected. If there is a lesion of the parietal or frontal parts of the brain, this is manifested by a lack of motor activity, tactile sensitivity, as well as degradation of the patient’s intellect. Well, if the pituitary gland is also involved in the pathological process, then even the hormonal balance of the body can change.
Until now, scientists in the field of oncopathology cannot come to a consensus on the causes of the development of brain sarcoma. So far, such versions have been put forward as head injuries, an unfavorable environmental component, as well as an unhealthy lifestyle with the impact of harmful bad habits.
Diagnosis and classification of brain sarcoma
If you have one or more symptoms that signal a possible oncological disease, you should immediately undergo an examination by a neurologist. In addition, it is necessary to conduct a computed tomography and ultrasound examination, to do a scintigraphy. The most accurate diagnostic method is magnetic resonance imaging, which can reveal not only the location of the tumor, but also the dynamics of the oncological process, as well as the volume of the affected area. All these methods are classified as non-invasive diagnostics.
Diagnostic methods of the invasive type include measuring the pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid, or cerebrospinal fluid, as well as its cytological examination. However, radiopaque angiography and immunochemical examination can be performed. For an affirmative diagnosis, a puncture biopsy is performed, which is the most accurate method for diagnosing brain sarcoma.
Depending on the forming structures, pathological changes in the brain with sarcoma are of three types:
Meningosarcoma is a tumor that forms in the meninges and contains pathologically altered blood vessels. Such vessels are deprived of the usual capsule and quickly grow into neighboring tissues;
Angioreticulosarcoma is a tumor that develops from the vascular walls of the brain. It has a large number of capillaries, through which rapid metastasis occurs;
Fibrosarcoma is a neoplasm that originates in fibrous tissues. Despite the fact that this type of tumor progresses much more slowly than meningo- and angioreticulosarcoma, it is aggravated by constant severe headaches and increasing symptoms of a neurological type.
Modern methods of treatment of brain sarcoma
The success of treatment completely depends on how timely a brain tumor is detected.
At the first stage of treatment, the neoplasm is removed, if there are no contraindications to this. And they can be the weakness of the patient, old age, as well as the location of the tumor, which is difficult for surgical intervention.
Although surgical treatment of brain sarcoma is one of the most effective methods, it can not always be resorted to due to the large size of the tumor. In the process of excision of a large neoplasm, areas of the brain that are very important for the full life of the patient can be affected, which will inevitably lead to disability or death of the patient.
Indications for palliative treatment is also the case when the tumor intersects with areas of the brain that control the vital functions of the body. And if earlier such circumstances always implied a death sentence for the patient, now with the help of modern methods, such as the “gamma knife” and “cyber knife”, saving the lives of patients with brain sarcoma has become commonplace.
These methods are non-invasive, that is, they do not require surgery. Although this type of treatment is based on radiosurgery, its distinguishing feature is that ionizing beams are directed exclusively at tumor tissues and do not affect healthy brain cells.
Modern methods of treatment of brain sarcoma significantly increase the survival rate of patients and provide them with a further full life.