Skull Base Tumor

What is Skull Base Tumor?

Since skull base tumour is rare, risk factors are hard to determine but once caught, it can be life threatening. Most Skull Base Tumours grow inside the skull but some form on the outside. The term ‘skull base tumour’ refers to the location of a brain tumour. A skull base tumour is an abnormal growth in the part of the brain that meets the base of the skull. The type of cancer cells can be several including both cancerous and noncancerous cells, which are hostile and tender in nature respectively.

Most skull base tumours that are benign and grow slowly can cause serious damage to the mechanism of the brain because they tend to develop in a confined space of the brain. Skull base tumours originate from the neurovascular structures of the base of the brain, the cranial base itself or the subcranial structures of the head and neck.

Symptoms

The symptoms of the skull base tumour are based on its size and how fast it grows and what part of the brain it affects. The symptoms of this tumour are not active at all. People don't experience any immediately as they begin to develop the tumour but they might be discovered incidentally. In general, the symptoms could include:

  • Difficulty in breathing
  • Altered sense of smell
  • Headaches
  • Blurred or double vision
  • Trouble swallowing
  • Hearing loss

Causes

There are no causes really known for this disease, but on account of a study researchers have found out the following conditions for the disease:

  • Neurofibromatosis
  • Von Hippel-Lindau disease
  • Li-Fraumeni syndrome
  • Retinoblastoma

Risks

The main risk factors of this disease are:

  • Radiation therapy of the head to treat an infection of the scalp.
  • Tumours of head, neck or brain.
  • Exposure to some chemicals

Prevention

To prevent the occurrence of this disease, there are certain things one should take care of:

  • Maintaining a healthy diet
  • Exercising regularly
  • Eliminating the usage of tobacco and alcohol

How is it diagnosed?

Early diagnosis is the key to curing many of these tumours. The diagnosis requires the capacity to look at the tumour with special telescopes that allow experts to see into the nose with high-defin...

How is it treated?

At Medanta, the treatment for a skull base tumour will be customized to the particular needs of the patient.

..

  • Surgery

    The main types of skull base surgery are:
    Open surgery: Cuts are made in the skin or the membranes of the nose or throat to expose the bone of the skull base. The affected bone is removed to expose the tumour and to locate the importance of nerves.
    Minimally invasive endoscopic surgery: This approach may:

    Lessen damage
    Save time in hospital and lessen recovery time
    Reduce complications

    Image Guided Surgery : CT or MRI scans are taken before surgery. They help the surgeon to identify the right location of the tumour in the operating room

  • Real - time MRI

    It provides surgeons with precise images of the tumour and helps increase accuracy of the surgeon and gives way to complete removal of skull base tumour.
    In addition to these, Chemotherapy or radiation therapy may be required depending on the tumour type and size.

When do I contact the doctor?

You should consult a doctor immediately as you begin to experience headaches, blurred vision, loss of hearing or restlessness. You will get the right kind of treatment for your disease and achieve perfect health from the tumour

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