Brain Tumors

• General symptoms: Headaches (often worse in the morning or with Valsalva).
  Nausea/vomiting, seizures, cognitive or personality changes.
  Focal neurological deficits (e.g., weakness, sensory loss, vision changes, speech difficulties).
• Red flag symptoms:
  New-onset seizures in adults.
  Progressive neurological deficits.
  Signs of increased intracranial pressure (e.g., papilledema, lethargy).

• Primary tumors: Arise from brain cells (e.g., glial cells, meninges). Common types include gliomas (e.g., glioblastoma, astrocytoma), meningiomas, and pituitary adenomas.
• Metastatic tumors: Spread from cancers such as lung, breast, or melanoma.
  Risk factors: Genetic syndromes (e.g., Neurofibromatosis, Li-Fraumeni), ionizing radiation exposure, family history (rare).
• Pathophysiology: Tumor growth causes damage through mass effect (compression of brain tissue), increased intracranial pressure, infiltration of healthy tissue, and disruption of normal neural function.

Prevention: No known primary prevention; avoid ionizing radiation when possible.
Follow-up: Regular MRI surveillance to monitor for recurrence or progression.
Rehabilitation (physical, occupational, speech therapy) as needed. Long-term management of treatment-related side effects.