Brain tumour: Risk factors, symptoms and preventions for brain cancer

Health expert reveals what are the risk factors for getting a brain tumour and the symptoms and preventions for brain cancer

Brain cancer which originates in the brain is usually benign while metastatic brain tumours can spread from other organs, like the lung or breast to the brain. Understanding the risk factors, recognising the symptoms and adopting preventive measures are vital in the battle against brain tumours.

Brain tumour: Risk factors, symptoms and preventions for brain cancer (Unsplash)

Risk factors:

In an interview with HT Lifestyle Dr Kanury VS Rao, Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder of PredOmix, revealed, “Most brain tumours are not linked with any known risk factors and have no obvious cause but there are a few factors like gender, age, compromised immune system, genetics, certain chemical exposure and radiation therapy that can raise the risk of brain tumours.”

Signs and symptoms:

According to Dr Kanury VS Rao, one of the most prevalent early indications of brain tumours is persistent or worsening headaches. He shared, "Headaches that occur in the morning or wake you up from a deep sleep can be especially troubling. Many people consider "modest symptoms" such as problems in vision, hearing, memory, vertigo, nausea, vomiting, as insignificant or dismiss them as unrelated to a brain tumour."

Prevention tips:

Talking about prevention tips, Dr Kanury VS Rao said, “While it is not possible to completely prevent brain tumours, one can reduce the risk by avoiding environmental hazards like smoking and excessive radiation exposure. The integration of AI tools with medical imaging data, such as MRI and CT scans, is aiding in the detection of brain abnormalities and cancers by analyzing subtle structural changes in the brain. Additionally, new screening tools are being developed that can detect brain cancers from blood samples, offering a non-invasive method for early-stage cancer detection. Early-stage identification through screening still remains the key to effective therapy and better patient outcomes for brain cancer.”