A child with a brain tumor is a pitiful condition

A child with a brain tumor is a pitiful condition

Senior neurosurgeon Prof. found in his office at Veer Hospital. Dr. Rajeev Jha looked in a hurry as always. He was saying, 'Now we will prepare for the operation.'

"Oppression". This word offends the common man badly. However, his mature hands have performed more than 18,000 surgeries. That too of the head which is considered to be the most complex and sensitive part of the body.

Therefore, surgery is a routine and normal activity for him. But this time he was not taking it for granted. Because the head of a one-year-old baby was beheaded, whose brain is already covered by a tumor.

'This is a very critical case,' he looked very serious while saying, 'It is very difficult to handle such a situation.' With this, he revealed that the risk of tumor in children is increasing. Why is the risk of brain tumor increasing in children? How is it identified? What is the treatment process like? In this context Prof. Dr. Conversation with Jha:

Is the problem of brain tumors increasing in children? What could be the specific reason for this?

Previously, brain tumors were less recognized. Now it has started to be recognized more. Awareness about health is increasing as the family is also getting educated. It can be seen that as soon as health problems appear, the order of taking to the hospital is more. There has also been a comparative change in the trend of conducting examinations in hospitals.

Previously, there were more people doing CityScan only in Kathmandu, but now there is a technology to check CityScan not only in big cities outside of Kathmandu but also in small towns. Because of this, the identification of the disease has also started to increase.

Having a brain tumor is not the end of life. Because many types of tumors can be operated on easily and then the patient is completely cured. If it is delayed, there may be complications.

How is a brain tumor diagnosed in a child?

Having a brain tumor in a child is a pitiful situation, I say. For example, parents bring a newly born child saying that the body is the same in two to three months, but the size of the head is increasing. On examination, a tumor is visible.

Other problems may look different from child to child. Like not eating mother's milk, not playing, not developing physically like other children, in some cases the child may vomit a lot.

The size of the baby's head increases. It is not seen how a child should move his limbs, laugh, eat and play according to his age. A brain tumor may be seen after examination in such children.

What causes this in children?

There are many causes of brain tumors, among them, bad lifestyle and injuries are the main ones. But the tumor seen in the child is a genetic defect. There are also other reasons for this. For example, if the mother drinks a lot of alcohol, smokes, or takes drugs during pregnancy, there is a risk of developing a brain tumor in the baby later. However, in most cases, the cause is hereditary.

How complicated is a brain tumor in a child?

A brain tumor in a child is a very different thing. Although brain tumor is non-cancerous, it affects more than cancer. Because let's say a 6-month-old child or a 5-year-old child, how much they weigh, how much blood there is in their body, and because they have a small body, even a small operation is very big for a child. If a child loses even 10 ml of water, they may die. They need a lot of sensitive supports.

Is it difficult to operate on a baby?

Even if the child does not have non-cancer, the result is the same as cancer. It is complicated to operate on them. It is not easy to treat a 6-month-old or one-year-old child from anesthesia to surgery or keeping him in the ward.

A multi-disciplinary team should be prepared for brain tumor surgery in children. The participation of many doctors and nurses is required. Because he is a child. He cannot express what is in him.

He who cannot speak, cannot express his pain, he cannot say that he has a headache. Only after checking everything can you know what is happening to him. Therefore, experts are necessary for this. We include neurologists, neurosurgeons, intensive care doctors, neuro specialist nurses, etc. Treating a child like any other disease is difficult and always challenging.

Will the child recover completely after surgery?

This is determined by where and in what condition the tumor is in the child's head. The brain has parts like frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, pons, medulla.

First of all, age, place and grade make a lot of difference. If there is a tumor in the root of the brain, even after surgery, the tumor cannot be removed from that place and even if it survives, it will be paralyzed and cannot be like a normal child.

Grade 1 and 2 tumors are non-cancerous. If the surgery is done properly, the chance of regrowth is less. Children recover after surgery. If it is in grade 3 and 4, it is considered high grade. Even if all the tumors are removed at this time, there is a risk of growth. Radio therapy and chemo therapy should be done to prevent such growth. It is difficult to save such a child even for a year and a half. Therefore, it can only be said by looking at all these conditions whether it will be completely cured or not after the surgery. 

One is the stage of the tumor, in what condition it is, and the other is who has it. It is more difficult to recognize such things in children than in adults. They cannot know what is happening to them.

In some cases, even the big people are bent by it. Some go to the eye hospital for examination because they cannot see their eyes. But brain tumor may also have caused such a problem in them.

How does that happen?

There are many cases of women who do not have children and go to obstetricians with the problem of dry menstruation and later get referred from there and come here. Such tumors are becoming a common problem in women now. It also has more tumors of the pituitary gland. Out of 100 brain tumor patients, 25 patients are suffering from pituitary gland tumor.

What is the risk of this type of tumor?

This is a common tumor. 99 out of 100 people have a chance of recovery. This is a non-cancerous tumor. It is not necessary to open the head to remove such a tumor, it can also be removed from the nose.

What causes brain tumors in particular?

Different brain tumor trials have shown that human cells are normal. During development, new cells are formed and old cells die. If one of these cells does not develop normally but becomes abnormal, it grows and becomes a tumor. This is a genetic defect.

Tumors also occur due to external causes. For example, people who work in the pesticide industry and people who work in radiation can develop brain tumors after a head injury in some cases. After that, studies have shown that there is a risk of brain tumor in people who eat unhealthy food, habits, smoke, drink, and take drugs.

How do you know that you have a brain tumor? What are its symptoms?

Brain tumor is not detected by simple examination. Only when it causes problems in the mind, people get it checked. If there is a brain tumor, the thinking ability of a person is reduced. Similarly, in some cases, they do not understand what others say. When they say one thing, they understand another thing.

There may also be problems with eyesight, hearing problems may occur. Similarly, it may be difficult to use the limbs. The skin may not feel hot or cold.

Symptoms like unusual headache, vomiting should be checked. Especially the headache continued for a long time, it did not get better. Vomiting continued. In this case, a brain tumor can be suspected.

Having a brain tumor is not the end of life. Because many types of tumors can be operated easily and then the patient is completely cured. If it is delayed, there may be complications.