How Does Meningiomas Affect The Brain

How do Meningiomas Affect the Brain? Meningiomas are typical kind of tumor that begins in the nervous system. Though they are called brain tumors, they actually grow on the three layers of meninges of the brain and spinal cord. Meningiomas tend to grow in the meninges of the brain, but can occur in the meninges of the spinal cord. The meninges are the tissue that protects the brain and spinal cord. The cause of meningiomas is not well understood, but could be from genetic and environmental factors. They are more common in mid-aged women but men do get them too, and they are very rare in children. Many brain tumors are diagnosed to be cancerous, but meningiomas are noncancerous ninety percent of the time. Some meningiomas may first be diagnosed as benign but become malignant over time. When the tumors become cancerous they will be treated with the techniques used against cancer. But when they are benign and without symptoms, only routine monitoring is recommended. Regular scans should be done to monitor changes in growth. …show more content…
Many meningiomas don’t create symptoms. They are often found during routine scans or during scans for other purposes. Patients will begin to show symptoms when the meningiomas become large. Larger tumors compress brain tissue and nerves that are associated with the brain and spinal cord, and reactive swelling in brain tissue around the tumor causes symptoms in the patient. The blocking of cerebral spinal fluid causes an accumulation resulting in obstructive hydrocephalus, and blocking of blood flow occurs when veins or arteries are