CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM METASTASES – FUNCTION OF THE BRAIN AND SPINAL CORD
What happens when cancer growths interfere with the function of the brain or spinal cord? Most often there is simply loss of function of whichever part of the body is controlled by the affected area. Thus, if the cancer growth is in the left side of the brain, there may be loss of feeling and strength in the right side of the body. A growth in the spine pressing on the spinal cord can cause paraplegia— loss of feeling and strength in the legs and loss of control of the bladder or bowel. As well as loss of function, cancer growing in the brain can irritate the brain cells, causing twitching or convulsions. This does not happen with lesions in the spinal cord or meninges.
Your doctor should examine you carefully for any loss of feeling or strength, especially if you have any of these symptoms. He or she should also examine the back of your eye, by looking through your pupil with a special lighted instrument called an ophthalmoscope. The end of the optic nerve can easily be seen at the back of the eye with the ophthalmoscope. The optic nerve is actually an out-pouching of the brain itself. Build up in pressure on the brain can cause the end of the optic nerve to swell, producing a typical appearance, which your doctor should recognise. Unfortunately, however, the optic nerve can look quite normal even when the brain pressure is very high, so this is not a foolproof test.
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Tags: Cancer