Characteristics and signs of metastases in the brain

1 Oncological disease and complications

With such a concept as metastases, a large number of patients with cancer suffer. Metastases in the brain - this is a very serious complication, which in the absence of proper treatment can cause death.

Malignant tumors are considered very dangerous and unpredictable formations in the human body. The emergence of such a diagnosis as cancer, accompanied by weak immunity and various diseases. Infection goes through the circulatory system and through the lymph penetrates into the internal organs. All cells affected by the disease are the source of tumors that are scientifically called metastases. Most often, such formations appear in the liver, lungs, bone tissue and the brain.

According to statistics, most often brain metastases affect patients aged 45-70 years. In addition, experts noticed that this type of cancer affects equally both men and women. But the cause of malignant formations is different. In men, most often this is a consequence of lung cancer, and in women - breast cancer.

2 Symptoms of pathology

Depending on where the tumor is located in the brain, the symptoms will also vary. But it's impossible not to notice the changes. The most common symptoms of metastases in the brain include the following:

• movement coordination disorder;
• frequent mood changes;
• headache;
• fever and fever;
• memory loss;
• personality disorder;
• changes in general sensations;
• weakness of the body;
• different pupil size;
• difficulty in expressing thoughts;
• convulsions of epileptic form;
• vomiting and nausea.

Some of the symptoms can be considered in more detail. For example, with increased intracranial pressure, a person will feel a severe headache, which is similar to a feeling of raspiranyaniya and is accompanied by nausea and vomiting. In this case, the patient may temporarily violate consciousness.

This symptom, like nausea, most often occurs with metastases in the brain in children. In this case, it is not uncommon for a patient to fall into a coma in such a state. Approximately 30% of all patients over the age of 40 have experienced a symptom such as seizures of an epileptic form.

You can also classify the symptoms depending on the location of the metastases. In cases of destruction of the frontal part of the brain, the patient may experience a sharp change to gross behavior. The person becomes aggressive, loses eye contact, the functions of the musculoskeletal system are violated.

If you notice at least some of the above symptoms in yourself or loved ones who have recently had cancer, you should immediately contact a specialist who will prescribe the diagnosis and the necessary course of treatment.

3 Diagnostic methods

Several types of studies exist to determine the presence and localization of metastases in the brain. For example, magnetic resonance imaging. In the process of this type of diagnosis, the physician can get layered pictures of the patient's internal organs. And most importantly, the resulting image has high accuracy and quality. During the examination, the patient undergoes irradiation with the help of special electromagnetic waves. Moreover, it is in a very strong magnetic field for the focus of radiation on the affected part of the body. Then, using the computer with special programs, the received information is processed, and the result of the research is given out.

For the diagnosis of metastases in the brain, your doctor may prescribe a CT scan. This type of examination is carried out using an x-ray machine. In this case, specialists also receive a layered image of the affected organs and tissues. The essence of computed tomography is that the patient determines the necessary area of ​​the brain, it is irradiated with x-rays at different angles and different intensities. And then, as in the previous method, the information comes to the computer and the screen displays a picture of different layers of tissues and organs.

4 Prognosis for

disease Many people are interested in the question of how much to live with the presence or relapse of metastases in the brain. The answer to this question depends on many factors.

For example, with this method of treatment, like radiosurgery, the patient can prolong his life for 1 year. Indeed, with the progression of the primary focus of the disease, it is necessary to eliminate the tumor itself, which was formed before the appearance of metastases. Very often, experts state the fact that life expectancy in the presence of metastases in the brain is extremely small. Even with a successful treatment, you will not achieve complete recovery.

Of course, if there are symptoms of metastases and complete absence of their treatment, the prognosis for the patient is disappointing.

The maximum life span with the affected brain is 4 months. But the prognosis for patients undergoing treatment can vary significantly. Everything depends on the general condition of the patient, the methods used, the location and the number of foci of metastases in the brain. Also, doctors often offer palliative care that can increase the patient's life. However, even with a long struggle with the disease, most likely, the patient's quality of life will significantly worsen, because the tumor affects important parts of the human brain.

Separately, one should consider the prognosis for a disease such as metastasis of melanoma in the brain. This kind of cancer is considered to be the heaviest. Melanoma, or in another way skin cancer, is the fastest source of metastasis formation in the internal organs. And in the event of damage to the brain, bones or lungs, it practically does not respond to treatment. Therefore, it is extremely important to monitor and prevent a skin disorder such as melanoma in time. Most often suffer from this diagnosis are people who have a lot of moles, freckles, or those who are exposed to the constant and prolonged influence of direct sunlight. To conduct treatment in such cases it is necessary immediately. To achieve a positive result is possible only with the use of monoclonal antibodies, if the disease is at the stage of metastasis. In addition, the patient's life expectancy in any case will depend on the individual characteristics of the organism.