Brain tumours

Question 1

most frequent cause of brain tumours

Answer 1

metastases > primary malignant > benign

Question 2

common metastases causing brain tumours

Answer 2

bronchus
breast
stomach
prostate
thyroid
kidney

Question 3

types of primary malignant brain tumour

Answer 3

glioma (a malignant tumour of the glial tissue of the nervous system)
embryonal tumour eg medulloblastoma
lymphoma

Question 4

benign brain tumours

Answer 4

meningioma

neurofibroma

Question 5

clinical features of cerebral tumour are the result of the following:

Answer 5

1 - progressive focal neurological deficit
2 - raised intracranial pressure
3 - focal or generalised epilepsy

Question 6

neurological deficit - tumours

Answer 6

result of the mass effect and surrounding cerebral oedema

depends on site of tumour

Question 7

what would a tumour in the frontal lobe do

Answer 7

personality change
apathy
intellectual deterioration
speech area and motor cortex involvement = aphasia and hemiparesis

Question 8

what happens with raised intracranial pressure

Answer 8

• causes headache, vomiting and papilloedema
  as it grows = downward displacement of the brain & pressure on the brainstem causing drowsiness, which progresses to resp depression, bradycardia, coma and death
• false localising signs

Question 9

investigations brain tumour

Answer 9

CT and MRI

CXR if metastatic disease suspected

Question 10

brain tumour management

Answer 10

surgery - exploration, biopsy or removal
radiotherapies for some gliomas & radiosensitive metastases
corticosteroids reduce cerebral oedema - dexamethasone
epilepsy - anticonvulsants

Question 11

prognosis brain tumour

Answer 11

v poor w malignant tumours

50% survival at 2 yrs for high grade gliomas