CNS Tumors

A CNS tumor begins when healthy cells within the brain or the spinal cord change and grow out of control, forming a mass. Though such tumors are not acutely life-threatening, they are life-threatening illnesses nonetheless.

A CNS tumor can be either cancerous or benign. A cancerous tumor has the potential to grow quickly and metastasize, whereas a benign tumor is slow-growing and lacks the biological capability to metastasize. Both types are potentially dangerous.

Understanding the basic anatomy of the brain is vital for recognizing the signs and symptoms of CNS tumors early on. For example, a tumor in the frontal lobe might impair reasoning, emotions, problem-solving, and parts of speech and movement, while a parietal lobe tumor might impair sensations of pressure, temperature, pain, and touch. It is also important to recognize the risk factors, epidemiology, and more nonspecific signs of brain tumors—including signs of increased intracranial pressure—and how to perform a general neurological exam to localize the lesion. In addition, recognizing syndromic associations may be crucial for early identification of diseases such as neurofibromatosis and tuberous sclerosis.

Recognizing the type of tumor and obtaining pathologic/imaging findings (grade) are vital for understanding how fast the tumor will grow, and thus for determining the management approach. Although the treatment of these tumors is complicated, any clinician should have a general understanding of the various treatment modalities available, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy.