Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer… yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease, according to charity Brain Tumour Research.

Research into brain tumours, in general, and childhood brain tumours, has been poorly funded despite the statistics, therefore many brain tumour charities are united under the national Brain Tumour Research banner; working together to raise awareness and to help raise funding for treatments that will also speed up the search for a cure.

Brain tumours

A benign tumour is not cancerous. It is similar to cancer because the growth is a result of abnormal cells, but unlike cancer, it does not spread to other areas of the body – it stays where it grows.

Generally, a benign tumour is not dangerous but the position of the tumour may be problematic and cause serious problems, especially if it grows large and damages nearby organs by putting pressure on them, or pressure on a primary nerve, a main artery, or inside the skull.

A malignant tumour is cancerous. This type of tumour can multiply rapidly, and unlike a benign tumour, can spread (metastasize) to various parts of the body through the blood stream and lymphatic system and invade surrounding tissue.

Some brain tumours are curable, using aggressive treatments including surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Other brain tumours, however, remain incurable, with no effective treatment. Some people may survive only a few months from diagnosis.

Signs and symptoms of a brain tumour

The brain has many different parts, and each different part (together with the spinal cord) controls a different function of the body. Therefore the signs and symptoms presented will vary depending upon the type of tumour and where in the brain it is located.

Some tumours have no symptoms until they are quite large and then cause a serious and fast decline in health. Usually when symptoms do occur it is because the tumour is putting pressure on the brain.

NHS UK lists the following:

Signs of increased pressure on the brain:

• severe, persistent headaches– which are typically worse in the morning or when bending over or coughing
• persistent nausea and vomiting
• drowsiness
• vision problems – such as blurred vision, floaters and loss of vision that may come and go
• seizures (fits) – which may affect the whole body or just involve a twitch in one area

Symptoms caused by the position of the tumour:

• the frontal lobe may cause changes in personality, weakness in one side of the body and loss of smell
• the temporal lobe may cause forgetfulness, language problems (aphasia) and seizures
• the parietal lobemay cause aphasia and numbness or weakness in one side of the body
• the occipital lobemay cause loss of vision on one side
• the cerebellum may cause a loss of co-ordination, flickering of the eyes, vomiting and a stiff neck
• the brain stem may cause unsteadiness and difficulty walking, facial weakness, double vision and difficulty speaking (dysarthria) and swallowing (dysphagia)

Other common symptoms include:

• seizures
• changes in speech or hearing
• changes in vision
• balance problems
• problems with walking
• numbness or tingling in the arms or legs
• problems with memory
• personality changes
• inability to concentrate
• weakness in one part of the body

These symptoms can be caused by many other conditions and do not mean that you have a brain tumour. If you are worried you should see your GP so that the cause be identified and treated as soon as possible.

How can Graysons help?

Some brain tumours are curable, with aggressive treatments such as chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, in conjunction with surgery. Other brain tumours are not, and sadly, some people may survive only a few months from diagnosis.

Unfortunately, in some cases there may have been a negligent delay in diagnosing a brain tumour which may have resulted in many months of suffering severe symptoms which could have otherwise been controlled with medication, or even an avoidable death.

Here at Graysons we recognise the devastating, and in some cases fatal, effect that a delayed diagnosis of a brain tumour can have. We understand the importance of compensation to you as it can greatly improve quality of life for you and your family and provide the care and security that is needed.

If you would like to talk to a member of our specialist team then please contact us for a confidential and free discussion today.

You can find out more about making a medical negligence claim on our web pages.