The brain has a role in every action we carry out, including movement and speech, vision, memory, and even maintaining balance. As different parts of the brain perform different tasks, the location of a brain tumour often determines the symptoms associated with the tumour.

Something does not become a symptom simply because it is a tumour. Whether a tumour bothers nearby brain tissue, its size, and its rate of growth all play a role. Some tumours may create symptoms very early in their existence. Others may grow for a long time without causing any symptoms.

Doctors make decisions on the most appropriate next steps or on a course of treatment once they understand the symptoms associated with a tumour and its location.

Reason for Focus on Location

Certain parts of the brain have specific functions. Tumours can press upon, irritate, or interfere with adjacent brain tissue. This can result in loss of function of that particular area.

For example, a weakness of an arm may be caused by a tumour that disrupted the brain region related to movement.

Tumour location cannot be told by the symptoms. The brain functions in interconnected ways, and nearby areas may have similar functions.

Different Brain Areas and Symptoms

Frontal Lobe

The frontal lobes are associated with movement, execution of plans, behaviour, decisions, and a type of speech.

Changes in personality or behaviour can also be caused by subtle or larger structural changes in the brain that are benign. Structural changes can also cause difficulty concentrating, planning, or changes in judgment and motivation. Weakness on one side of the body may occur with changes in movement or speech, another common symptom. With benign structural changes, sometimes the symptoms do not cause impairment and therefore make it difficult to identify for the person or their family.

Temporal Lobe

Tumours in the Temporal Lobe may cause memory problems, difficulty with understanding language, and changes in hearing and perception. There may also be trouble formulating language, seizures and/or unusual sensations. Younger patients may also experience seizures as the first clinical sign of a tumour.

Parietal Lobe

Tumours in the Parietal Lobe cause impairments to sensation, including numbness, position sense, and the ability to judge distance, in addition to difficulty performing routine actions.

Occipital Lobe

Tumours in the Occipital Lobe can lead to changes in vision. There may be a loss of a part of the visual field, the inability to interpret images and other disturbances of vision. Vision changes may be caused by a number of benign structural changes, so tumour assessment is necessary.

Cerebellum and Brainstem

The cerebellum assists with balance and coordination, and the brainstem helps swallowing, eye movements, and the brain’s communication with the body.

Some tumours may lead to:

• Balance issues
• A difficulty with walking that is unsteady.
• Poor coordination
• Feeling dizzy
• Difficulty with swallowing
• Alterations in eye movements
• Weakness and or loss of feeling

Because the brainstem houses pathways for many vital functions, an assessment and planning of treatment for these tumours require special care.

Other Symptoms Can Occur

Not all symptoms affect only one area in the brain. A tumour may affect the brain by increasing pressure in the skull, or by surrounding tissues becoming inflamed. This may bring on nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, a feeling of sleepiness, and changes in alertness.

Headaches are different for different people. Just having a new headache, or a persistent one, doesn’t mean that a tumour is definitely present. There are lots of reasons for having a headache.

How Is the Location of a Brain Tumour Determined?

The doctor takes a history and an assessment to see what symptoms the patient is experiencing. A patient may be assessed for weakness, a change in reflexes, sight, hearing, balance, coordination, sleepiness, or multiple other things.

Different brain areas may be responsible for different symptoms.

MRI is a primary method for diagnosing the location of a brain tumour. It provides great detail with images of the brain. An MRI shows where the brain tumour may be located, its size, and the tumour’s relation to other tissues and structures.

A CT scan can be quickly performed as needed. In some cases, advanced imaging such as an fMRI can be used to find the speech and movement areas. Surgery is more common when the issue is being considered as an option.

If a biopsy is needed, it may be used to find a tumour’s type and other characteristics. When making a treatment plan, a combination of the tumour’s type and the location and the patient’s overall health is considered.

Why Time is Of the Essence

Progressive or severe symptoms of speech, movement, vision, memory, balance or changes in behaviour warrant a trip to your MD. Although most are not signs of a brain tumour, many brain tumour symptoms are adversely affected by a lack of assessment.

Royal Care Neurosciences offers an in-depth neurologic assessment and necessary imaging to determine the impact of the tumour on brain function. Based on the assessment and tumour type, a patient-centred treatment plan is formed.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can locations of brain tumours be mapped by their symptoms?

While symptoms can provide some clues as to location, mapping tumour location is not possible without neurological imaging, mostly MRI. This is especially true for brain tumours.

2. Does the size of a brain tumour contribute to the severity of symptoms?

Yes. A large tumour can exert pressure on surrounding neural tissues and cause a variety of symptoms. Smaller tumours can cause similar pressure effects on important or sensitive areas.

3. Can symptoms of a brain tumour be on only one side of the body?

Brain tumours can definitely affect movement and sensation on one side of the body, depending on where they are located. However, one-sided weakness or numbness can be caused by several different things, and it is important to go to the doctor right away for any type of weakness or numbness.