Difference Between Brain Tumour and Brain Cancer
Brain Tumour vs. Brain Cancer: Symptoms & Treatments
According to WHO, around 300,000 new central nervous system and brain tumour cases are reported yearly. Moreover, approximately 40,000 new brain tumour cases arise each year in India, with 27,990 numbers of deaths related to brain cancer in 2022.
Well, not all tumours growing in the brain are cancerous, but benign tumours can become cancerous due to their location or size.
Differences Between Brain Tumours and Cancer
Here are some notable differences between brain tumours and cancer:
| Characteristics | Brain Tumour | Brain Cancer |
| Definition | Brain tumours are masses or abnormal growths of cells in the brain. It can develop in any area of the brain, including the skull base, protective lining, nasal cavity, sinuses and brainstem. | Primary brain cancer (e.g., glioblastoma) arises from brain cells and metastatic brain cancer spreads from other organs, or any body part can spread to the brain and grow. |
| Cause | Genetic mutation, radiation exposure and Syndromes such as neurofibromatosis, Li-Fraumeni are the primary causes of tumours. | Uncontrolled cell growth in the brain involves molecules, fibroblasts, immune cells and blood vessels that trigger angiogenesis. It provides oxygen and nutrients to the tumour for growth and leads to cancer. |
| Risk Factors | Family history of cancer or tumour and genetic conditions such as Li-Fraumeni syndrome, neurofibromatosis and excessive radiation exposure increase the risk of developing tumours. | Ionising radiation from previous treatment, genetic conditions, growing age, seizures, head injuries, and immunosupression due to organ transplants, HIV or chronic diseases are risk factors for cancer. |
| Growing Affect | Destroy healthy brain tissue, create intracranial pressure, brain bleeding, and fluid buildup and block cerebrospinal fluid flow. | Disrupt normal brain functions, impact neurological and cognitive issues, also compress the brain structure. |
| Symptoms | Generate symptoms such as a headache, weakness, walking trouble, memory issues, vision problems, etc. | Paralysis in body parts, drowsiness, aggressive behaviour and mood changes, vomiting, nausea, loss of vision, smell and listening power, seizures and memory loss are primary symptoms. |
| Prognosis | Prognosis varies depending on tumour types, location, size, patient’s age and overall health condition. Benign tumors (e.g., meningioma): Often curable with surgery.
Glioblastoma (Grade IV): Approximate median survival rate of 15 months. | Brain cancer can lead to neurological problems and cognitive decline. |
Treatment of Brain Tumour and Brain Cancer
Generally, brain tumours and cancer are treated with radiation therapy, surgery, steroid therapy and chemotherapy. Detailed explanation of treatments listed below:
- Brain surgery removes tumours from the brain.
- Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays to kill tumour cells.
- Chemotherapy involves anticancer drugs to kill the remaining cancer cells after surgery.
- Brachytherapy surgically places radioactive capsules near or in the cancerous tumours.
- Immunotherapy stimulates the body's immune system to fight against cancerous cells.
- Palliative treatment includes a combination of therapies to alleviate cancer symptoms and relieve pain.
- Targeted therapy, uses drugs that specifically attack cancer-related molecules (like mutated proteins or growth signals) in tumor cells, while sparing most healthy cells.
Brain tumours can be malignant or benign, whereas brain cancer is invasive and aggressive. Genetic mutation, radiation exposure and external injury lead to tumours. Brain cancer develops in the nasal cavity, sinuses, skull base and protective linings, but cancer can also grow from other cancers that spread to the brain. The growing age of patients, head injuries, and low immune strength due to chronic disease increase the risk of cancer.
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