UNTREATABLE CAUSES OF DEMENTIA: CEREBRAL TUMOURS

A cerebral tumour can cause dementia. Such tumours can be divided into two types – primary and secondary. Primary cerebral tumours are those that arise within the brain itself whereas secondary tumours spread there from a site somewhere else in the body, usually arriving via the bloodstream. Secondary tumours arise when a few cells from a tumour, say a cancer of the breast, are taken by the bloodstream and planted as seeds in the brain, where they grow and destroy brain tissue. Sometimes there are many small secondary deposits. They may cause all sorts of other symptoms and side-effects and don’t always cause dementia.

Since most brain tumours are unsuitable for X-ray therapy or surgical removal, it is usually only possible to treat the symptoms, such as headache. However, some primary tumours, especially one called a meningioma, can often be completely and safely removed. A meningioma can grow to a very large size and still be removed. It is therefore another of the treatable conditions that can be diagnosed from a brain scan. In most tumours, unfortunately, although treatment can be given to improve the quality of life of the person concerned, the tumour will eventually be responsible for the patient’s death.

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