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Topics: Health, Mental Health, Cancer, Science
William Morgan
Topics: Health, Mental Health, Cancer, Science
Two of the easiest to detect early warning signs of brain cancer could be spotted long before a cancerous tumor turns deadly.
As with most other cancers, getting a brain tumor diagnosed early has a massive impact on survival rates and reduces deaths by up to 28 per cent, according to data from the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
But distinguishing common signs of the condition from everyday issues can be difficult, leading to only a tiny fraction being spotted early.
Research that involved interviewing people who had already been diagnosed with a brain tumor of some kind found that there were a number of recurring early warning symptoms that kept being overlooked by patients and medical professionals.
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Published in PLOS ONE, the study by doctoral researcher Laura Standen found that many patients dismiss minor health issues, such as tiredness and migraines, even though presenting them to a doctor could have led to an earlier diagnosis.
But the research also identified two other less-obvious symptoms that warranted concern.
It is not uncommon to experience numbness or tingling after sitting in a strange position, but if the 'pins and needles' are repeated and found in random parts of your body, you should speak to your doctor.
Standen explained in The Conversation that 'some people reported tingling or numbness that shifted around the body'. She added that she had spoken to two patients who noticed the symptoms only on one side.
They told the researcher: “Half of my lower right side of my face and half my tongue, half of the inside of my mouth.”
Standen said that this can happen when a tumor 'affects the brain’s sensory or motor control areas'. These are the parts of your brain responsible for sending and receiving signals to the rest of your body.
Although this symptom is common in those with poor circulation or as a result of migraines or a trapped nerve, Standen argued that any new symptoms, or those that affect only one side of your body, should prompt a visit to a doctor's office.
People can experience brain fog for many reasons, often a common side effect of infections like the flu or a fever, but it can also be a sign that something is growing in your head.
A number of Standen's patients said they had experienced a 'general fogginess that included difficulty focusing, thinking clearly, and even just remembering things.
She shared the experience of one person who had missed a diagnosis because their brain fog made them forget they'd even booked a doctor's appointment.
Many will often dismiss these symptoms as they can be caused by a number of common circumstances, like menopause, poor sleep, or stress.
One family member told the researcher: “When the symptoms came up, the answer was, ‘She’s going through the menopause’.”
However, if brain fog is accompanied by symptoms of other changes in your brain, such as issues with your sight or speech, you should speak to your physician.
Elsewhere in her research, Standen found a decrease in hand-eye coordination and personality changes to be a possible sign of brain cancer.
There are a large number of other symptoms of various brain cancers that, when experienced persistently or in conjunction with others, could be a cause for concern.
The Mayo Clinic says that the main symptoms are:
Experiencing one of these issues does not indicate that you have a brain tumor, but having multiple of them should trigger a visit to your doctor.