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Brain cancer stage 4: symptoms, treatment and prognosis

The term “brain cancer: to perform the 4 stages in medicine understand the whole heterogeneous group of neoplastic diseases of the brain tissue, the membranes of the brain, blood and lymphatic vessels within the cranium, cranial nerves, endocrine glands secretions of the brain (pituitary and hypothalamus) and the skull, which are in final stages of development. Unfortunately, to cure the patient with this diagnosis impossible. Known to only a few cases of recovery that medicine can not explain. According to statistics, the 3-month survival rate of people diagnosed with brain cancer stage 4 is only 15-20%.

Stage 4 brain cancer: what does it mean?

Classification of brain tumors is difficult due to certain peculiarities of the behavior of tumors inside the skull. For example, the primary (not metastatic tumors of the brain tissue never metastasize), as well as each tumor that grows quickly and leads to compression of the healthy tissue and increased intracranial pressure can be considered malignant. But in this case, the criterion of malignancy is not cellular irregularities (although it is), and the complications that causes such education and a high risk of death.

Adopted in cancer classification TNM (tumor – primary tumor, nodus – metastases in regional lymph nodes, metastasis – distant metastasis) staging of brain cancer is not used. Today brain tumors are divided into clinical stages according to the classification adopted by the who in 2000.

Video transmission about brain tumors:

Causes of brain tumors, stage 4

Sorry, but the true reasons for the development of malignant diseases of the brain today is not known. Scientists can only guess about those on the basis of observation of patients. So, increased risk of brain cancer are people who:

  • work with radioactive substances or succumb to radiation for any reason;
  • those who have family there have already been cases of brain cancer (genetic predisposition);
  • work in hazardous conditions and have constant contact with chemical carcinogens;
  • those who smoke;
  • people who succumb to the negative effects of electromagnetic radiation;
  • those who have history there

    The symptoms of brain cancer stage 4

    As a rule, in the case of stage 4 brain cancer in a patient such histological variants of tumors, like glioblastoma, gliosarcoma belongs to, astrocytoma. In 60% of cases are diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme, the prognosis of which is dysfunctional.

    Very often it happens that the first warning signs of the disease are missed by patients and doctors. Patients worried aboutprogressive and

    Diagnostic methods

    Holodnokatanoj for the diagnosis of tumor is used:

    • General and neurological examination;
    • methods of medical imaging –

      The principles and possibilities of treatment

      Due to the severe malignancy of tumors, stage 4, their rapid growth and poor prognosis in all are recognized as inoperable, but in some cases, patients may perform a surgical intervention, but only palliation to extend for a few weeks life, improve its quality and to alleviate suffering.

      Can be used the following methods of treatment, both alone and in combination:

      • neurosurgical operation – rarely used due to neoperabelnoy tumors (stage 4);
      • radiation therapy – relieves patients, because we will apply at the last stage of the cancer process, permitting the human condition;
      • chemotherapy is often used in patients with stage 4 as palliative treatment along with radiotherapy.

      In some cases people with stage 4 cancer of the brain used experimental methods of treatment, which sometimes give a chance for the prolongation of life.

      Video about glioblastoma – a brain tumor stage 4:

      The prognosis of brain cancer stage 4

      Brain cancer stage 4 is considered incurable, but with adequate therapy could extend life for a few months and improve its quality. The average life expectancy of patients with the diagnosed brain tumor in the final stage is 3-4 months. Patients die due to brain edema, other-wordly coma, stop breathing and heartbeat.