-Dr. Subodh Raju, Director & HOD, Neurosurgery, AIG Hospitals group
Hyderabad, June 08:Every year, World Brain Tumor Day observed on 8th June reminds us that early recognition, timely diagnosis, and advanced treatment are paramount for management of brain tumors. In India, the burden of brain and central nervous system tumors is steadily becoming more visible. According to GLOBOCAN 2022 estimates, India recorded over 32,000 new brain and CNS cancer cases and nearly 28,000 related deaths, making this an important public health concern. The overall cancer burden in India is also projected to rise significantly in the coming years, which makes awareness and access to specialized care even more critical.
Brain tumors can affect people across all age groups. They may be benign or malignant, slow-growing or aggressive, but even a benign tumor can become dangerous if it presses on critical areas of the brain. The challenge is that early symptoms are often ignored or mistaken for stress, migraine, ageing, or lifestyle-related fatigue.
There are certain red flags that should never be ignored. A headache that is new, persistent, worsening over time, or more severe in the morning needs medical evaluation. A first-time seizure in an adult is always a warning sign. Repeated vomiting without a clear stomach-related cause, blurred or double vision, hearing loss, imbalance, weakness or numbness on one side of the body, difficulty speaking, memory problems, personality changes, or unexplained drowsiness should prompt urgent consultation. The key is not to panic, but not to delay evaluation either. Modern MRI and CT imaging can identify brain lesions early and help specialists decide the right treatment.
The encouraging news is that treatment of brain tumors has changed dramatically. Earlier, many patients feared brain surgery because it meant opening the skull, longer hospital stay, and prolonged recovery. Today, neurosurgery is increasingly precise, minimally invasive, and personalized. Depending on the type, size, and location of the tumor, patients may benefit from microsurgery, endoscopic surgery, image-guided navigation, focused radiation, or a combination of treatments.
A major advancement is stereotactic neuro-radiosurgery using platforms such as ZAP-X® NeuroRadiosurgery. This technology delivers highly focused radiation to the tumor with sub-millimeter precision, without any incision and without opening the skull. For selected patients with brain tumors, brain metastases, skull-base tumors, AVMs, trigeminal neuralgia, and certain neurological conditions, it can offer non-invasive, day-care treatment with faster recovery.
On this World Brain Tumor Day, the message is simple: recognise symptoms early, seek expert care promptly, and remember that modern technology is making brain tumor treatment safer, more precise, and less traumatic than ever before.