Most recent data from National Cancer Institute (Inca) indicate that around 11 thousand new cases of cancer of the Central Nervous System (CNS) – which includes the brain and spinal cord – are expected to appear each year in Brazil, more than 6,000 occurring in men, according to a 2022 survey. According to the institute, CNS cancer represents 1.4% to 1.8 % of all malignant tumors in the world, and 88% of cases occur in the brain.
Experts recommend that people observe the most common signs of the disease from an early age | Photo: Disclosure/Agência Saúde
In the case of children, the data is also worrying. According to research carried out at Harvard University (USA), tumors of the central nervous system are the second most common cancer in children under 15 years of age – if leukemia and blood cancer are considered – and the main cause of death in this age group. In the case of solid cancer, it is ranked first as most common in children.
Pay attention to symptoms
Experts advise observing the most common symptoms and signs of the disease from an early age. “Cancer can manifest itself with signs of increased intracranial pressure, such as headache, vomiting and drowsiness”, explains neurosurgeon Benício Oton Lima, from Brasília José Alencar Children’s Hospital (HCB).
According to the doctor, weakness of a limb, mental confusion, visual impairment and epilepsy – a disease marked by seizures – are factors that may be related to the type of cancer. “These signs or symptoms, with a short evolution, indicate that the tumor is growing faster”, he explains.
It is currently understood that brain cancer can be caused by several factors, from genetic changes to those acquired during life, through predisposition or exposure. Experts observed that some environmental and occupational causes generate a greater risk of CNS tumors, such as exposure to radiation, arsenic, lead, mercury, mineral oil and others.
Treatment
CNS tumors require complex and multidisciplinary treatment. In some cases, a surgical procedure may be necessary to remove the tumor or biopsy fragment. The Unified Health System (SUS) offers reception, surgery, radiological diagnosis, histopathological diagnosis, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, in addition to social assistance. “Treatment of the lesion is generally surgical and may require additional treatment with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, if indicated”, details Oton Lima.
Service
Once signs are identified, the initial recommendation is to seek medical help, starting with basic health units (UBSs). In turn, emergency care units (UPAs) and regional hospitals can refer patients to referral hospitals for cancer treatment – the Base Hospital (HB) and HCB.
The care team is multidisciplinary, comprising oncologist, pediatrician, neurosurgeon, anesthesiologist, nursing, physiotherapist, neurophysiologist, nutritionist, dentist, infectious disease specialist, pathologist, neuroradiologist and radiotherapist.
*With information from the Department of Health
