World Brain Tumour Day 2025: Early Diagnosis And Awareness Key To Brain Health For All Ages

Every year, June 8th is observed as World Brain Tumour Day, a global initiative to raise awareness about brain tumours, their symptoms, treatment, and the importance of early detection. The theme for 2025, "Brain Health for All Ages," underscores the need for vigilant brain care across all demographics—children, adults, and the elderly alike. 

Dr. V. Bramha Prasad, Consultant Neuro Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals, Secunderabad shares early diagnosis and awareness key to brain health for all ages on this World Brain Tumor Day 2025.

A brain tumour is an abnormal mass of tissue where cells grow uncontrollably, disrupting normal brain function. Unlike healthy cells that follow the body’s biological rules, tumour cells grow unchecked, compressing or invading brain structures. This growth within the rigid confines of the skull can elevate intracranial pressure, shift brain structures, or damage nerves and tissues. Tumours may remain within the central nervous system (CNS)—comprising the brain and spinal cord—and rarely spread elsewhere.

Brain tumours are classified as primary (originating in the brain) or metastatic (spread from another part of the body). Primary tumours may be glial (gliomas) or nonglial (arising from brain structures like nerves and blood vessels). Metastatic tumours, which are more common, often result from cancers of the lungs, breast, or other organs.

Recognizing the Symptoms

Early symptoms can mimic other medical conditions, making diagnosis difficult. In adults, common signs include:

• Persistent headaches, worse in the morning
• Seizures or convulsions
• Nausea or vomiting
• Speech or cognitive difficulties
• Personality changes
• Weakness or paralysis on one side
• Vision disturbances and memory loss

In children, symptoms may present differently and subtly, such as:

• Morning vomiting without nausea
• Balance or coordination issues
• Increasing head size in infants
• Vision problems, unexplained irritability, or drowsiness

If any of these symptoms persist or worsen over time, consulting a doctor is crucial for accurate diagnosis.

Malignant vs. Benign Tumours

While not all brain tumours are cancerous, they can be life-threatening due to their location. Malignant tumours (e.g., glioblastomas) grow aggressively and infiltrate surrounding tissue. Benign tumours, though slower-growing, may still pose serious risks if located near critical brain structures.

Brain tumours are graded using the World Health Organization (WHO) classification system, which helps predict tumour behavior and guides treatment decisions. It's worth noting that even benign tumours may evolve into malignant forms, and both types can recur after treatment. 

 

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Diagnosis and Treatment

 

Diagnosis typically involves:

• Neurological examinations
• Imaging (MRI or CT scans)
• Biopsy for tumour typing

Treatment is often multidisciplinary, involving neurosurgeons, oncologists, and radiologists. Approaches may include:

• Surgery – to remove or reduce tumour size
• Radiation therapy – to destroy remaining tumour cells
• Chemotherapy – for aggressive or inoperable tumours

Treatment plans vary depending on the tumour's type, location, and the patient’s age and overall health. Some tumours enter remission, where they stop growing. However, recurrent tumours may develop, requiring continuous follow-up and imaging.

 

 

ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE SOME INFO

It’s normal for people to become a bit forgetful as they age. So how can you tell a harmless "senior moment" from Alzheimer's disease?  In its first stages, Alzheimer’s may not be obvious to friends and family. But there are some early warning signs to watch for.

Memory and Speech
In early Alzheimer’s, long-term memories usually remain intact while short-term memories become sketchy. Your loved one may forget conversations you had. She may repeat questions that were already answered. The disease also disrupts speech, so she might struggle to remember common words.

Behaviour
In addition to memory loss, Alzheimer’s can cause confusion and behavior changes. Your loved one may get lost in familiar places. Mood swings and lapses in judgment are also common, as is poor hygiene. People who were once stylish may start wearing stained clothes and forget to wash their hair.

Signs
It's hard to face the thought that a loved one could have this disease, but it's better to see a doctor sooner rather than later. First, the diagnosis might be something else. The symptoms could be caused by a highly treatable problem, like a thyroid imbalance. And if it is Alzheimer’s, treatments work best when they’re used early in the course of the disease.

Diagnosis
There’s no simple test for Alzheimer’s, so the doctor will rely on you to describe the changes in your loved one. A mental status test, sometimes called a “mini-cog,” or other screening tests can measure his mental skills and short-term memory. Neurological exams and brain scans may be used to rule out other problems, like a stroke or tumor, and they can provide other information about his brain.
Alzheimer’s causes nerve cell death and tissue loss throughout the brain. As the disease gets worse, brain tissue shrinks and areas that contain cerebrospinal fluid become larger. The damage harms memory, speech, and comprehension.

What to Expect
Alzheimer’s takes a different path in every person. Sometimes the symptoms get worse quickly and lead to severe memory loss and confusion within a few years. For other people the changes are gradual. It could take 20 years for the disease to run its course. Most people live 3 to 9 years after diagnosis.

 Will It Change Daily Life?
Alzheimer’s affects concentration, so your loved one may not be able to do ordinary tasks like cooking or paying the bills. A study suggests trouble balancing the checkbook is often one of the first signs of the disease. As symptoms worsen, he may not recognize familiar people or places. He may get lost easily or use utensils improperly, like combing his hair with a fork. Incontinence, balance problems, and loss of language are common in advanced stages.

 Exercise
Physical activity can help your loved one keep some muscle strength and coordination. It might also boost his mood and help him feel less anxious. Check with his doctor to learn which types of exercise are appropriate. Repetitive activities, like walking, gardening, or even folding laundry may be the best at giving him a sense of calm.

Treatment
There’s no cure for Alzheimer’s and no way to slow the nerve damage it causes in the brain. But there are medications that appear to help maintain mental skills and slow the disease’s effects. If your loved one gets treatment early on, she may be able to stay independent and do her daily tasks for a longer period of time.

Problems in Care-giving
In the early stages, people with Alzheimer’s often understand what’s happening to them. They may be ashamed or get anxious. Watch for signs of depression, which the doctor can manage with medication. Later on, your loved one may become paranoid or aggressive and could even turn on you. Remember that the disease is responsible for this change. Tell the doctor about this kind of behavior promptly.

Sundown Syndrome
Experts don’t know why, but some people with Alzheimer’s get upset when the sun goes down. This tends to last through the evening and sometimes all night long. To ease tension, keep the house well lit and close the drapes before sunset. Try to distract your loved one with a favorite activity or TV show. Switch him to decaf after breakfast.

Your Loved One May Not Recognise you
Many people with Alzheimer’s have trouble remembering names, even of people closest to them. A temporary fix is to put up pictures of people they’re likely to see often or know well with names printed underneath. Eventually, your loved one may no longer recognize faces and may react as if family members are strangers. This can be distressing, especially for the main caregiver.

 Later Stages
People with advanced Alzheimer’s may lose their ability to walk, talk, or respond to others. Eventually, the disease can hinder vital functions, like the ability to swallow. This may be the time to switch to hospice care, which provides pain relief and comfort for people with terminal illnesses.
 

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Pharyngeal Cancer Diagnosis

A variety of methods is used to diagnose pharyngeal cancers. They include:

• Physical exam and history
• Head, neck and chest X-rays
• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging): A procedure that uses a magnet, radio waves and a computer to make a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body. This procedure is also called nuclear MRI, or NMRI.
• CT (computed tomography) scan: A procedure that makes a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body, taken from different angles. The pictures are made by a computer linked to an X-ray machine. Contrast medium (a dye injected into a vein or swallowed to help the organs or tissues show up more clearly) is generally not used when imaging the sinonasal area. This procedure is also called computerized tomography or computerized axial tomography.
• Positron emission tomography (PET) scan: A procedure to find malignant tumor cells in the body. A small amount of radioactive glucose derivative fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is injected into a vein. The PET scanner rotates around the body and generates a picture of where glucose is being used in the body. Malignant tumor cells show up brighter in the picture because they are more active and take up more FDG than normal cells do. PET scans may be used to find nasopharyngeal cancers that have spread to the bone. It has also been used to find distant metastases (primarily to the lungs) in hypopharyngeal cancers.
• Bone scan: A procedure to check if there are rapidly dividing cells, such as cancer cells, in the bone. A very small amount of radioactive material is injected into a vein and travels through the bloodstream. The radioactive material collects in the bones and is detected by a scanner.
• Endoscopy: A procedure to look at organs and tissues inside the body to check for abnormal areas. An endoscope is inserted through the patient’s nose or mouth to look at areas in the throat that cannot be seen during a physical exam of the throat. An endoscope is a thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing. It may also have a tool to remove tissue or lymph node samples for biopsy.
• • Biopsy: The removal of suspect tissue for analysis. A pathologist views the tissue under a microscope to look for cancer cells. This test is necessary to establish three things:  1) whether the tumor is benign or malignant, 2) what type of cell the tumor originated from and 3) what grade, or level of differentiation, the tumor cells display.
  • Human papillomavirus (HPV) test: Testing the blood or a biopsy sample for HPV may help reveal information about the cancer involved and provide treatment guidance.
  For nasopharyngeal cancer: 
  • Nasoscopy: A procedure to look inside the nose for abnormal areas. A nasoscope is inserted into the nose. A nasoscope is a thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing. It may also have a tool to remove tissue samples for biopsy.
  • Neurological exam: A series of questions and tests to check the brain, spinal cord and nerve function. The exam checks a person’s mental status, coordination and ability to walk normally, and how well the muscles, senses and reflexes work.
  • Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) test: Testing the blood or a biopsy sample for EBV may help reveal information about the specific type of nasopharyngeal cancer involved and provide treatment guidance.
  For hypopharyngeal cancer: 
  • Barium esophagogram: An X-ray of the esophagus. The patient drinks a liquid that contains barium (a silver-white metallic compound). The liquid coats the esophagus and X-rays are taken.
  • Esophagoscopy: A procedure to look inside the esophagus to check for abnormal areas. An esophagoscope (a thin, lighted tube) is inserted through the mouth or nose and down the throat into the esophagus. Tissue samples may be taken for biopsy.
  • Bronchoscopy: A procedure to look inside the trachea and large airways in the lung for abnormal areas. A bronchoscope (a thin, lighted tube) is inserted through the nose or mouth into the trachea and lungs. Tissue samples may be taken for biopsy.