Benign brain tumors are primary, noncancerous tumors. They grow much more slowly than malignant tumors, and they are usually respectful of nearby brain tissue, but they can cause symptoms and can change over time. The neurosurgeons at Instituto Clavel explain the circumstances that determine whether a benign brain tumor requires surgery.
The question of whether a benign brain tumor requires surgery or not is not easy to answer, even for the best neurosurgeons in Spain. To find the answer, you need to start at the beginning…
Differences between benign and malignant brain tumors
The first thing to understand is that brain tumors can be classified histologically as benign or malignant, depending on the type of cells they are made of. The characteristics of each are as follows:
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Benign tumors: these grow more slowly, are non-invasive (without destroying tissue) and interfere less with the adjacent tissue.
- Malignant tumors: these grow quickly and they are destructive.
Benign tumors originate in cells within or near the brain and are given a more specific name based on the cells in which they originated.
How do they determine whether a tumor is benign or malignant?
To answer this with certainty, it is necessary to have a sample of the tumor. For this reason, when image tests leave doubts as to the nature of the tumor, it is necessary to perform a tumor biopsy.
If the tumor is determined to be benign, it is important to note that not all lesions of this type are stable over time. This means that they can change and become malignant, and certain types of tumors are more prone to do so. In fact, some malignant lesions begin as benign. Furthermore, like malignant tumors, many of them can cause symptoms that negatively affect the patient’s quality of life.
However, there are some cases where benign brain tumors are asymptomatic and are only discovered by chance during a study performed for some other reason. In these cases, sometimes the decision is simply to carefully and regularly monitor the tumor for possible growth, so any necessary action can be taken before it becomes too large or causes symptoms. Monitoring a tumor like this is possible because benign lesions usually grow slowly, allowing time to schedule elective resection surgery if necessary.
When is it necessary to operate on a benign brain tumor?
Whether or not the tumor is malignant, some tumors must always be operated on. This is because regardless of their size, tumors located in areas such as the one controlling speech, or the motor cortex, or the cranial nerves, can cause serious problems that are difficult to recover from.
In general, any benign tumor that has a risk of becoming malignant, shows signs of active growth, or causes symptoms, is a candidate for surgical resection.
The location of the tumor is also a decisive factor. If the tumor is located in a critical brain area, or is in contact with sensory or vascular structures where there is a high risk of causing functional disability, or a threat to vital functions, surgery is the only option, especially if the patient's neurological functions begin to be affected.
However, when a benign tumor is in a complicated location where an operation could entail a high risk of significant negative side effects, it may be preferrable to wait and monitor the benign tumor to see if it shows signs of activity before proceeding with surgery.
In the following article, Dr. Clavel describe the risks and things you should know about this kind of surgery:
Possible side effects of benign brain tumor surgery
Patient age, a determining factor
When an elderly person is diagnosed with a benign brain tumor and the risk of neurological damage incurred by surgery outweighs the functional benefit or improvement of life expectancy, conservative treatment is chosen. It should be borne in mind that certain benign slow-growing tumors, such as meningiomas, can become calcified over the years and spontaneously stop growing.
Don’t hesitate to contact us for an appointment or if you have any questions or would like more information about surgery for a benign brain tumor. Our team will listen to your case and we will be able to assist you in a personalized way.
At Instituto Clavel, we have been offering our patients the best and most advanced neurosurgical treatments for more than 20 years. The surgeons in our Brain Unit are highly experienced and the best in Spain. This allows us to offer our patients the safest possible surgery.
Categories: Brain treatments, Brain pathologies, Surgery