How to Detect Brain Tumor Warning Signs

Brain tumors are masses of abnormal cell growths that take place within a patient's brain or spine.  Like all tumors, the growths can be either malignant or benign but they are always treated as potentially life-threatening due to the small space of the intracranial cavity.  The growths are extremely rare but to be safe people should still pay attention to any and all warning signs that their body may be sending them.

• Familiarize yourself with the various symptoms of brain tumors by reading up on them.  You will have a lot more luck properly recognizing any warning signs if you're aware of what they are.


• Understand that since the human brain lacks the sensors necessary to transmit it pain cannot be felt in the organ.  Many people who suffer from brain tumors wind up going years without experiencing any noticeable symptoms at all.


• Pay attention to any new headaches.  If they begin to increase in frequency or become more painful or debilitating than you are used to, you should seek medical attention immediately.


• Pay special attention to any recent changes in your cognitive and behavioral patterns.  In most cases, these changes may not seem strange or significant.  In fact, most people with undiagnosed brain tumors attribute the symptoms, which can range from impaired judgment to dizziness, as signs of stress or sleep loss. 


• Consult your doctor after experiencing one or more of the following symptoms: change in vision, loss of smell, personality changes, fatigue or impaired muscle control.  


• Pay attention to the head sizes of infants and toddlers.  A growing brain tumor in children of this age will likely begin to affect the shape of their cranial cavities, unlike in adult patients who's skulls have fused together.