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Brain cancer

Cancers of the brain and spinal cord tumors are often found because of signs and symptoms the person may be having, however, these are often experienced at later stages. “If a tumor were to arise in the motor cortex, for example, (the area of the brain involved in controlling voluntary movement), it would cause a noticeable deficit such as weakness in the arm or leg,” explains David Poulad, MD, board-certified neurosurgeon in Union, New Jersey. “However, these tumors may often arise in neighboring areas where they would cause somewhat vague symptoms to a patient such as clumsiness of the hand in performing fine motor tasks, as opposed to frank weakness or subtle difficulties with speech.”

Patients may also exhibit very subtle changes in personality that may only be noticed by their closest family members. Another big roadblock in the way of detection is that one of the most common brain tumor symptoms is headache, which is so common that it’s often ignored by patients and even some primary care physicians. To date, there’s no cancer screening available for brain cancer, short of an imaging study of the brain such as an MRI or a CT scan, and the prognosis is very poor. “Without no cure currently available, the goal of a neuro-oncology team is to preserve neurological functioning for as long as possible and manage the growth of the cancer,” says Dr. Poulad.