About brain cancer?
First steps – diagnosis to treatment
Recognising Brain cancer
Canopy Cancer Care is a leading private clinic for adult cancer patients. Our team specialises in the care of patients requiring cancer treatment. The Canopy vision is to offer New Zealanders the option of world-class cancer care, delivered locally, right here in New Zealand. Every day and with every patient we work towards this goal. The Canopy team has been providing an international standard of care since 2010. During this time we have built a strong team who are all passionate about our patients and the outcomes that matter to them most.
We have world-class facilities located in:
What is brain cancer?
Brain cancer is an overgrowth of cells in your brain that forms masses called tumours. Cancerous, or malignant, brain tumours tend to grow very quickly. They disrupt the way your body works
Signs and Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of a brain tumour vary greatly and depend on the brain tumour’s size, location and rate of growth.
General signs and symptoms caused by brain tumours may include:
- New onset or change in pattern of headaches
- Headaches that gradually become more frequent and more severe
- Unexplained nausea or vomiting
- Vision problems, such as blurred vision, double vision or loss of peripheral vision
- Gradual loss of sensation or movement in an arm or a leg
- Difficulty with balance
- Speech difficulties
- Confusion in everyday matters
- Personality or behaviour changes
- Seizures, especially in someone who doesn’t have a history of seizures
- Hearing problems
Potential risk factors
In most people with primary brain tumours, the cause of the tumour is not clear. But doctors have identified some factors that may increase your risk of a brain tumour.
Risk factors include:
- Exposure to radiation – people who have been exposed to a type of radiation called ionizing radiation have an increased risk of brain tumour. Examples of ionizing radiation include radiation therapy used to treat cancer and radiation exposure caused by atomic bombs.
- Family history of brain tumours – a small portion of brain tumours occurs in people with a family history of brain tumours or a family history of genetic syndromes that increase the risk of brain tumours.
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