On March 3, 2021, the 6-year-old girl Lin Noen died of diffuse endogenous pontine glioma. During her lifetime, she was a female fighter who fought against cancer for more than a year. After her death, she was a little angel who left her hope of life to others.
She donated her liver, two kidneys, and a pair of corneas to save patients she had never met and bring them new life or light.
While praising the kindness of her and her family, we need to take a closer look at the malignant brain tumor that took away her young life.
What are the malignant brain tumors?
(1) glioma
Tumors originating from glial cells are also the most common primary intracranial malignant tumors, accounting for about 80%.
Among primary malignant central nervous system tumors, glioblastoma has the highest incidence rate, accounting for 46%, followed by diffuse astrocytoma , accounting for approximately 7.6%.
The treatment of glioma is mainly surgical resection, combined with radiotherapy , chemotherapy, immunotherapy and other comprehensive treatments, but it is prone to recurrence.
(2) Primary central nervous system lymphoma
accounts for 3% of central nervous system tumors . There is no significant difference in the incidence rate between men and women, and the incidence rate is higher in immunocompromised people. Treatment is mainly chemotherapy.
(3) Embryonic tumors
are mainly medulloblastoma , which is the most common intracranial malignant tumor in children and mostly occurs in children and adolescents under the age of 16. Surgical treatment is preferred.
(4) Germ cell tumors
include germ cell tumors , embryonal carcinoma, yolk sac tumor , choriocarcinoma , etc. The incidence rate in men is 2 to 3 times that in women. Comprehensive treatment of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy is often used.
(5) Brain metastasis
is a malignant tumor that spreads to the brain from other parts of the body. The incidence of brain metastases exceeds that of all primary brain tumors and can be single or multiple.
Lung cancer is most likely to metastasize to the brain, and 50%-60% of lung cancer patients will eventually develop brain metastases. Secondly, tumors that are prone to brain metastasis include malignant melanoma , breast cancer and gastric cancer etc. . Brain metastases are often treated with surgery combined with radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy or targeted therapy.
Possible risk factors for brain tumors
(1) Ionizing radiation
High-dose ionizing radiation is one of the two clear risk factors for glioma. Even low-dose radiotherapy can increase the incidence of glioma by 3% - 7%. The latency period for brain tumors caused by radiation therapy can be 10 to 20 years.
(2) Low immunity
When immunity is impaired due to innate or acquired immune suppression, the risk of primary central nervous system lymphoma can be significantly increased.
(3) Genetic factors
A small number of brain tumors have hereditary tendencies. Inherited mutations in high-penetrance genes associated with rare syndromes are one of two well-established risk factors for glioma.
(4) Chemical carcinogens
Certain chemical substances can induce brain tumors in animals.
(5) Viral infection
Individual studies suggest that nasopharyngeal cancer , cervical cancer are related to the occurrence of brain tumors, and these two tumors are related to viral infection, so it is speculated that viral infection may be a brain tumor. risk factors.
The main symptoms of brain tumors
(1) Headache: caused by the tumor causing increased intracranial pressure, mostly diffuse, usually occurring in the morning, and can also appear as unilateral similar to migraine Headache , severe headache may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting and other symptoms.
About half of patients with brain tumors will have headache symptoms. If the headache persists or gradually worsens, brain tumors need to be considered, but do not suspect that you have a brain tumor as soon as you have a headache.
(2) Weakness of one limb: Symptoms generally worsen progressively, and hemiplegia may even occur.
(3) Visual impairment: caused by damage to the optic nerve, mostly manifested as unilateral vision loss in a short period of time.
(4) Hearing impairment: caused by damage to the auditory nerve, mostly manifested as unilateral tinnitus and deafness.
(5) Language disorder: caused by damage to the brain tissue responsible for language, aphasia may occur.
(6) Unsteady gait: occurs when the cerebellum or vestibular organ is damaged, manifesting as dizziness and inability to walk in a straight line when walking.
(7) Epileptic seizure : Commonly known as " epilepsy ", it typically manifests as focal seizures of convulsions, and can also develop into systemic seizures of convulsions and loss of consciousness.
How are brain tumors different in children and adults?
(1) Malignant meningiomas are more common in children than in adults.
(2) Children's brain tumors grow faster than adults, and the course of adult brain tumors is longer.
(3) Malignant brain tumors in children are the second most common cancer in children, accounting for about 1/3 of all childhood cancers.
(4) The treatment methods for children's brain tumors are different from those for adult brain tumors. Open surgery is the preferred method for children's brain tumors.
(5) The recurrence rate of brain tumors in children after surgery is higher than that in adults. How does
protect our brains?
(1) Give brain cells enough time to recover
Pay attention to the balance between work and rest when doing mental work, so that the brain can get a rest in time; avoid staying up late and ensure sufficient sleep time.
(2) Minimize the chance of the brain being radiated.
- Do not put your mobile phone next to the pillow when sleeping. You can place it on the bedside table or even outside the room. However, there is no clear evidence that ordinary mobile phone radiation and WiFi signals are related to brain tumors;
- Do not accept unnecessary radiation examinations, especially examinations of the brain; stay away from radioactive sources in life, and be careful to avoid them when you see warning signs as shown in the figure below.
(3) Improve immunity
Pay attention to exercise and enhance immunity; avoid unclean sexual intercourse, avoid infection AIDS and reduce the risk of cancer.
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Author: Xue Yongping
