Understanding Meningioma Tumors
- April Tate, mom living in Scotland, was diagnosed with a meningioma brain tumor after noticing she had memory issues during work, something she dismissed as a symptom of “menopause.” She later told her doctor during a routine checkup, but was told to the hospital, where scans led to her diagnosis.
- Menopause, which the National Institute on Aging describes as a normal part of aging, typically begins in women between the ages of 45 and 55. Symptoms of menopause include body changes, hot flashes, and aches and pains.
- Meningioma tumors arise from the meninges the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. Doctors recommend that you see a doctor if you have the sudden onset of seizures or changes in vision or memory as it could be a meningioma; most of the time, meningioma symptoms develop slowly over time but sometimes can require emergency care. Other symptoms may include headaches, dizziness, or weakness in the arms and legs.
- Brain tumors account for 85-90% of all primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
- When it comes to brain tumors, as new treatment approaches are continually being explored through clinical trials, the standard of care for glioblastoma has remained largely consistent since 2005. It combines maximal safe surgical resection (surgery to remove as much of the cancer as possible) followed by chemotherapy and radiation.
She initially thought her forgetfulness was due to “menopause,” but later decided to inform her doctor during a routine phone call, ultimately promoting her to go to the hospital and get checked.
Read MoreSharing her story to SWNS in a recent interview, according to the Mirror, she explained, “When they said I had a brain tumor, my first thought was that I was going to die. Being self-employed meant taking time off for treatment brought financial pressure too, which just added to the stress.
“When the surgeon explained the tumor was located in a really difficult part of my brain and he’d only attempted surgery in that area once before, it was a difficult truth to accept. It was terrifying to live with the unknown of whether it would grow or not. Over time, I began to adjust. The tumour was slow-growing, and for a while, it didn’t change much.”
Tate was diagnosed back in 2018, and monitored by scans every bi-annually, until 2022, when it was discovered that the tumor had grown.
Thankfully, she was eligible to undergo stereotactic radiotherapy, a type of cancer treatment that uses focused radiation to treat tumors with extreme accuracy, relying on imaging like MRI or CT scans, to deliver the radiation without damaging other parts of the brain.
Tate further explained to SWNS, “The radiotherapy itself was fairly quick each day, but it was exhausting. The team had to make a custom mask to keep my head completely still, which felt claustrophobic and intense. I just closed my eyes, listened to music and tried to stay calm. The hardest part came afterwards, with having to wait to find out if it had worked.”
She remains grateful to have learned that the tumor had decreased in size, and her checkups are now annual.
Tate now hopes to raise money for Brain Tumour Research by sharing her story and taking part in charity events.
“People hear the words ‘benign’ or ‘low-grade’ and assume it’s nothing serious, but I still live with this every day. There’s something in my brain that shouldn’t be there, and it could change at any time,” she concluded.
“I even worried about how it might affect new relationships and not wanting to burden someone else with what I was going through. But we still deserve to live fully, and to love and be loved. What shocks me most is how little funding goes into researching brain tumours. That has to change.”
Understanding Meningiomas, Symptoms, & When To See Your Doctor
Meningiomas aren’t technically brain tumors, Dr. Suriya Jeyapalan, director of medical neuro-oncology at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Mass., previously told SurvivorNet; they are tumors that arise from the meninges the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. But the tumors can compress or squeeze the adjacent brain, nerves and vessels.
Most brain tumors aren’t actually cancerous, according to the American Brain Tumor Association. Less than one third about 32% of brain tumors are considered cancerous, or malignant.
Coping With a Brain Tumor Diagnosis
If the tumor is made up of “normal-looking cells,” that means the tumor is benign. However, those kinds of tumors may still require surgery.
The signs and symptoms of a meningioma depend on its location, according to the National Cancer Institute, and may even be subtle at first.
Even though a meningioma isn’t technically a brain tumor, the symptoms are relatively the same as other brain tumors, such as a glioblastoma. The symptoms of a brain tumor, or even brain cancer if the tumor is malignant, can frequently and easily change, Jeyapalan tells SurvivorNet.
“But for I think this is the take home message for I think a lot of patients: Brain cancer is actually really rare,” Jeyapalan explained. “Lung cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, are much more common.”
“Everybody’s always scared about getting their brain tumor and, you know, ‘Oh, should I be using my cell phone or what not,’ and I tell them, ‘No, you should be much more scared about the fact that you’re, you know, you’re hypertensive, you’re diabetic, you have high cholesterol, you’re overweight, you’re not exercising enough,” she added.
Symptoms can include:
- Changes in vision seeing double or blurriness
- Headaches, especially ones that are worse in the morning
- Hearing loss
- Memory loss or confusion
- Loss of smell
- Seizures
It’s recommended that you see a doctor if you have the sudden onset of seizures, or changes in vision or memory as it could be a meningioma; most of the time, meningioma symptoms develop slowly over time, but sometimes can require emergency care.
Make an appointment with your doctor if you feel you have symptoms, such as headaches that worsen over time, that concern you. But most times, meningiomas are only discovered on scans for reasons that turn out to be unrelated to the tumor.
Making Sense of a Brain Tumor Diagnosis
According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), brain tumors account for 85-90% of all primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors. They can either be cancerous (malignant) or non-cancerous (benign), and depending on where the tumor forms on the brain, doctors determine its type, potential symptoms, and potential treatment.
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Signs and Symptoms of Brain Tumors
Brain tumors impact a person’s brain function and overall health, depending on their size, type, and location within the brain. Tumors that grow big enough and disrupt normal central nervous system functioning can press on nearby nerves, blood vessels, or other tissues. The disrupted central nervous system can present in various ways, making walking or maintaining balance difficult.
However, it’s important to know that brain tumors do not always cause symptoms.
Other signs of brain tumors may include:
- Headaches
- Difficulty speaking or thinking
- Weakness
- Behavioral changes
- Vision changes
- Seizures
- Loss of hearing
- Confusion
- Memory loss
Types of Cancerous and Non-Cancerous Brain Tumors
A brain tumor can affect you differently depending on its location and if it is cancerous. Some brain tumors are non-cancerous (or benign). According to the National Cancer Institute, some examples of these types of brain tumors include:
- Chordomas are primarily benign and slow-growing and are often found near the tailbone or where the spine meets the skull.
- Craniopharyngiomas are rare, slow-growing tumors that don’t spread to other parts of the brain or body. They form near the pituitary gland near the base of the brain.
- Gangliocytomas are rare tumors of the central nervous system that tend to form on the temporal lobe (the left or right side of the brain).
- Glomus jugulare are rare and slow-growing tumors.
- Meningiomas are rare brain tumors that usually form on the outer layer of tissue that covers the brain (dura mater).
- Pineocytomas are rare and slow-growing tumors located in the pineal gland near the middle of the brain.
- Pituitary adenomas are slow-growing brain tumors of the anterior pituitary located in the lower part of the brain.
- Schwannomas are rare tumors that grow on the cells that protect nerve cells. They are called Schwann cells.
- Acoustic neuromas (vestibular schwannoma) are slow-growing tumors that develop from the nerves that help balance and hearing.
Other brain tumors are malignant or cancerous. These kinds of tumors include:
- Gliomas are the most common form of cancerous and aggressive primary brain tumors.
- Astrocytoma (glioma) forms in astrocytes (star-shaped cells). Depending on how aggressive or fast they grow and impact brain tissue, these tumors are classified into four grades.
- Ependymomas are tumors classified into three grades depending on how aggressive or fast they grow.
- Oligodendroglioma tumors are classified into grades depending on their growth speed. Grade 2 oligodendroglioma tumors are slow-growing and can invade nearby tissue, but they may not present symptoms for many years before detection. Meanwhile, grade 3 oligodendroglioma tumors proliferate.
- Medulloblastoma tumors are classified into four different grades depending on their aggressive nature or how quickly they grow.
- Glioblastoma, which is considered a central nervous system (CNS) tumor, is the most common and aggressive brain tumor in adults.
Treatments for Brain Tumors
Treatment options for brain cancer depend on a variety of factors, including the size and type of the tumor as well as the grade of the tumor.
Surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy are options doctors use to treat brain tumors. Cancer warriors are encouraged to talk to their doctor about their situation and the best treatment options.
The prognosis for brain cancer, or how likely it is to be cured, depends on a few things, including:
- The type of brain tumor
- How fast the brain tumor is growing
- The tumor’s location
- If there are DNA changes in the cells of the brain tumor
- If the entire tumor can be removed with surgery
- Your overall health
Your doctor will be able to help you understand your specific and unique circumstances and how they relate to your prognosis.
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Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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