Getting to Know the Stages of Brain Cancer, From Early to Late Stages

One of the determinants of treatment performed by doctors in overcoming brain cancer is to know the stage or stages experienced. Check out a full explanation of the level of cancer in the following review.
Early to Late Stage Brain Cancer
Brain cancer has several levels ranging from stage 1 to 4. What distinguishes one level from another? Here’s the full explanation:
1. Stage I
Stage 1 brain cancer is a disease that enters the initial stages and is characterized by slow growth and development of tumor cells.
At this stage the tumor cells are benign and appear identical to healthy cells when viewed under a microscope. In addition, this condition is one that very rarely spreads to other surrounding tissues.
In addition, the symptoms of brain cancer are still not felt so maybe treatment is not needed. However, some brain cancer sufferers have also felt the initial symptoms. Therefore, treatment at this stage also needs to be done as early as possible, for example, surgical removal of the tumor.
Also Read: 10 Types of Cancer That Can Appear Without Early Symptoms, Don’t Ignore It
2. Stage II
At this stage, tumor cells in brain cancer are still growing slowly, but tumor cells can spread to nearby tissues.
In addition, stage 2 brain cancer still allows tumor cells to come back after treatment. When the tumor cells are viewed using a microscope, the shape of the tumor cells will appear slightly abnormal.
At this stage, the symptoms of cancer begin to vary according to the brain cells affected. Treatment that can be done in this phase is usually surgical removal of the tumor.
3. Stage III
If tumor cells in stages I and II have slow growth and development, in stage III the tumor cells have grown faster and are more malignant so that they are classified as cancer, and can spread to the nearest network.
In addition, tumor cells can come back after special treatment. At this stage, tumor cells will appear abnormal from healthy cells in general when viewed under a microscope.
At this stage, symptoms will be as varied as previous brain cancer stages; so the treatment will vary as well. Several types of treatment for stage III brain cancer that can be done are chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy.
4. Stage IV
Brain cancer at this stage is the final stage of cancer. At this stage, the condition of the cancer is getting worse. Some of the signs you have this condition include:
- Tumor cells grow very quickly and are very malignant.
- Can spread easily to the tissues in the brain, to the spinal cord, or other organs (metastasize).
- Actively produce abnormal cells.
- The shape of the cell is very different when viewed using a microscope.
- The tumor forms new blood vessels so it can sustain rapid growth.
- Can appear again after treatment.
- The tumor has dead cells (necrosis).
Also Read: 11 Important Steps in Addressing a Cancer Diagnosis
At this stage, the treatment that can be done is chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The treatment is carried out to help control the growth of tumor cells while alleviating symptoms and improving the patient’s quality of life.
Now, that’s the sequence of stages of brain cancer that is important to know. The higher the stage level, the more severe the cancer is.
In the end, regardless of the stage you have, brain cancer can be life threatening, especially if this disease doesn’t get the right treatment or treatment right away.
- Anonymous. 2019. Grades of brain and spinal cord tumors. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/brain-tumours/grades. (Accessed 6 February 2023).
- Anonymous. 2021. Brain Tumors: Grades and Prognostic Factors. https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/brain-tumor/grades-and-prognostic-factors. (Accessed 6 February 2023).
- Anonymous. 2022. Brain cancer grades. https://www.cancercenter.com/cancer-types/brain-cancer/grades. (Accessed 6 February 2023).
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