Brain Tumor Swelling After Radiation

Extreme tiredness fatigue hearing loss.

Brain tumor swelling after radiation. Brain metastases occur when cancer cells spread from their original site to the brain. You may get a headache or feel pressure in your head if this occurs. Even the lower dose makes sleep difficult. When your doctor decides it is safe you will be given a schedule to gradually reduce the dose of the medication.

Any cancer can spread to the brain but the types most likely to cause brain metastases are lung breast colon kidney and melanoma. Acute reactions occur immediately after treatment and are caused by radiation induced brain swelling edema. Some of these side effects can happen because radiation has caused the brain to swell. This is truly the med from hell.

Brain metastases or secondary brain tumors occur in 10 to 30 percent of adults with cancer. Medicines are usually given to prevent brain swelling but it s important to let your cancer care team know about headaches or any other symptoms. Learn about signs of edema including swelling in your feet ankles and legs. Cancer that spreads to the brain is usually treated with radiosurgery highly focused radiation with a tool such as the gamma knife followed by less intense radiation to the whole brain.

It can make your symptoms worse for a time. Symptoms can mimic the symptoms of your brain tumor like speech problems or muscle weakness or those of increased intracranial pressure such as headache nausea or double vision. Take steroids only as directed by your doctor. Doctors call this oedema.

Trouble with memory and speech. Skin and scalp changes. This can be frightening because you might think the radiotherapy isn t working. Radiotherapy to the brain causes a short term swelling in the treatment area which raises the pressure in the brain.

Per an mri i was told it was brain swelling after the fact from radiation and that it is not that uncommon. Edema is a condition in which fluid builds up in your body s tissues. Brain tissue swelling can develop during treatment. I was originally put on dexamethasone 4mg 2 x day but after 16 days of that with no sleep and couldn t eat had to be cut back to just 4mg once per day.

The swelling may be caused by chemotherapy cancer and conditions not related to cancer. The health care team watches for signs of this problem and may prescribe medications to decrease swelling. Radiation to the brain can cause these short term side effects. Swelling in the brain hair loss near the treated area if close to the scalp.

It will regrow on its own. Steroids reduce brain swelling from the tumor itself or from the effects of radiation therapy.