Seven brain tumour symptoms to be aware of as new figures show rise in cases

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The number of people diagnosed with brain tumours has risen by 30% in the last 20 years, new figures suggest.With this news, it is more important than ever to be aware of symptoms which may indicate the condition.According to data from Public Health Scotland (PHS), the number has risen from 822 in 2000-02, to 1,069 in 2017-19.According to the NHS, a brain tumour occurs due to the growth of cells in the brain that multiplies in an abnormal, uncontrollable way.

The severity of brain tumours vary, depending on how big they grow and how likely they are to return after treatment.Dr David Jenkinson, the Brain Tumour Charity’s chief scientific officer, said: “These worrying figures show just how urgently we need to act on this devastating and life-changing disease.“While brain tumours remain relatively rare, incidence has continued to rise significantly over the last two decades, and this has unfortunately not yet been matched by the tangible progress in diagnosis, treatment and survival outcomes seen in many other cancers.”The charity claims progress for brain tumours has continued to lag behind survival improvements seen in other diseases.Just 12% of UK adults survive for five years after a brain tumour diagnosis, with the disease continuing to reduce life expectancy by 27 years on average — the highest of any cancer.So what are those potential symptoms?

Remember, none of these automatically mean you have a brain tumour, but if you are concerned, see your GP.Dr Catherine McBain, a consultant clinical oncologist at The Christie in Manchester, has outlined seven possible signs which may be linked to brain tumour.If you have a fit or a seizure out of the blue, you should go to A&E, where an urgent brain scan would be considered.