According to the U.S. Central Brain Tumor Registry, more than 50,000 Americans are diagnosed with brain tumors each year. Fortunately, the majority of these tumors are benign.
Instructions
Diagnose Brain Cancer
1. Check your insurance coverage. If you don't have insurance, purchasing it quickly is worth doing. If you need to be seen right away, however, don't let a lack of insurance stop you from going to the emergency room. The doctors will take care of you, and you can figure out your finances later. If you don't have money, you can apply with your local department of social services for assistance. It is not a good idea to postpone necessary care for financial reasons.
2. Call your doctor. Some symptoms of brain tumors include persistent headaches, which are often worse in the morning; nausea or vomiting; changes in hearing, speech, or vision; problems walking; feeling off-balance; changes in mood, personality, or ability to concentrate; memory problems; seizures; and numbness or tingling sensations. Be sure to explain all of your symptoms to your doctor, and ask specifically if he or she thinks you could have a brain tumor.
3. Get tested. Usually, tumors in the brain are first detected by CT scans or MRI testing. These tests are special radiology images that give very detailed views of the inside of your brain using either x-ray or magnetic fields. Sometimes, a special dye will be injected into your vein to help see the images with greater detail. The results of these scans, however, are only preliminary. These scans cannot detect whether a tumor is cancerous, but you can breathe a sigh of relief if they do not show any tumor.
4. Find a neurosurgeon. Most brain tumors, even those that are not cancerous, will need to be removed. This is because the brain is sensitive to the increased pressure that comes from the abnormal growth of cells. Usually, the neurosurgeon will plan to remove all or most of the abnormality seen in the scan. Sometimes, the tumor is in a part of the brain that cannot be reached through standard surgery. In this case, the surgeon may attempt to get a tiny piece called a biopsy.
5. Discuss the results of your surgery. Samples of your brain tissue will be sent to the laboratory for special testing. The results of these specimens will provide you with the answer that you need. This will tell you whether the tumor is cancerous. Armed with that information, you can get the treatment that you need.
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