Most recent data from the National Cancer Institute (Inca) indicate that around 11,000 new cases of cancer of the Central Nervous System (CNS) – which includes the brain and spinal cord [link: https://www.gov.br/inca/pt-br/assuntos/cancer/tipos/sistema-nervoso-central] – should appear every year in Brazil, with more than 6 thousand 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, 88% of cases occur in the brain.
In the case of children, the data is also worrying. According to research carried out at Harvard University, 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. age. In the case of solid cancer, it is ranked first as most common in children.
Early diagnosis is of fundamental importance, and it is necessary to observe 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 the neurosurgeon at Hospital da Criança de Brasília José Alencar (HCB), Benício Oton Lima.
Furthermore, the specialist explains that weakness of a limb, mental confusion, visual impairment and epilepsy – a disease marked by seizures – may be related to the type of cancer. “It is also important that these signs or symptoms, with little time to evolve, indicate that the tumor is growing faster”, he warns.
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. For example, it is 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 everything from reception; surgery; radiological diagnosis; histopathological diagnosis; chemotherapy and radiotherapy; and social assistance.
“The public network provides diagnosis with clinical care and images, through tomography, resonance and others. The treatment of the lesion is generally surgical and may require additional treatment with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, if indicated”, details neurosurgeon Oton Lima.
Service
Once signs are identified, the initial recommendation is to seek medical help, with the entry points always being the Basic Health Units (UBSs). However, Emergency Care Units (UPAs) and regional hospitals can refer patients to reference hospitals for cancer treatment – the Hospital de Base (HB) and the HCB.
The care team is multidisciplinary, comprising oncologist, pediatrician, neurosurgeon, anesthesiologist, nursing, physiotherapist, neurophysiologist, nutritionist, dentist, infectious disease specialist, pathologist, neuro-radiologist and radiotherapist.
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Federal District Health Department | Communication consultancy
