What Are the Symptoms of Masses and Lesions?
Brain tumors and lesions present similar symptoms. Like brain lesions, sometimes brain tumors are so small that some people may not have any symptoms or are so minimal that they dismiss them for something else. However, as the brain tumor grows slowly over time, signs and symptoms begin to appear and can vary depending on the tumor's location within the brain, its size and how quickly it grows. Common symptoms include:
- Headache
- Seizures
- Difficulty thinking, speaking or finding words
- Changes in personality or behavior
- Weakness, numbness or loss of movement in one part or one side of the body
- Difficulty with balance or dizziness
- Sensory changes like difficulty hearing, difficulty seeing or loss of smell
- Memory loss
- Confusion in everyday matters or disorientation
- Unexplained nausea or vomiting
- Fatigue or muscle weakness
People with brain tumors or lesions may experience other signs and symptoms, such as:
- Abnormal eye movements
- Trouble swallowing
- Trouble walking
- Weakness or drooping of one side of the face
- Loss of appetite or weight loss
- Slurred speech
How Are Mass and Lesions Diagnosed?
In many cases, if a provider suspects you have a brain tumor or lesion, he/she will perform a neurologic exam to assess movement and sensory skills, hearing and speech, reflexes, vision, coordination and balance, mental status and changes in mood or behavior. Your doctor may also add diagnostic imaging, such as computed tomography (CT) and MRI, to view the inside structures of your body, including tissues, organs, bones and nerves. Your doctor may also recommend other diagnostic tests, such as blood and urine tests, electroencephalogram (EEG), spinal tap or magnetoencephalography (MEG). These tests can help confirm the diagnosis and determine the type of tumor or lesion and treatment options.
What Are the Treatments for Mass and Lesions?
Like brain tumors, brain lesion treatment depends on the affected area's location within the brain. For multiple sclerosis lesions, treatments can only prevent or slow down the progression of some of its types and help manage symptoms. Treatment options may include disease-modifying therapies to help reduce the number of relapses and help prevent or delay its progression, treatments for flares and plasma exchange for when symptoms worsen or do not improve after treatment with corticosteroids.
Aside from the location of the tumor, treatments for brain tumors also depend on the tumor's type and size of the tumor and how far it has spread, how abnormal the cells are, and the patient's overall health. Some treatments for brain tumors include steroids to help reduce swelling around the tumor, anti-epileptic medicines to help manage seizures and painkillers for headaches, neurosurgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
If you have any new, chronic or concerning symptoms or suspect a brain tumor or lesion, please talk to your healthcare provider as soon as possible for proper diagnosis and medical attention. Please don't delay care.
