patrick

4 years

Is headache a sign of brain cancer

Hi doctor, is headache a sign of brain cancer? If not what are the signs someone has brain tumour?

Hi there! Thank you for your question. So yes headache is a symptom of brain tumour but are so many more probable causes of headache. Headache is an almost universal experience and it is one of the most common symptom in medicine. Some of the important causes of headaches are migraine, tension headache, cluster headache, lifestyle, exercise headache and cough headaches.

Headache can also occur as a result of something else such as concussion (post-traumatic headache), bleeding, infection, dehydration, hypertension, high pressure within the skull, low pressure within the skull, hangovers, stroke, brain aneurysm (a bulge in an artery in your brain), brain arteriovenous malformation (an abnormal formation of brain blood vessels), carbon monoxide poisoning, chiari malformation (structural problem at the base of your skull), dental problems, ear infection (middle ear), encephalitis (brain inflammation) and brain tumours.

Allow me to explain further about brain tumours and other symptoms that you should look out for in brain tumours. Brain tumour is a growth that happens within your brain. Most brain tumours don’t arise from the brain itself. They metastasize (travel) form another tumour elsewhere in the body.

Brain tumours contribute about 4% to cancer related deaths.
The symptoms of brain tumours include early morning headache (due to increase pressure within the skull), headaches that are new or change in pattern of headaches (more frequent and more severe), vomiting (due to increase pressure within the skull), seizures, vision changes, double vision/loss of peripheral vision, gradual loss of sensation or movement in an arm or a leg, balance issues, speech difficulties, confusion, haemorrhage (bleeding within the brain) and asymptomatic.

Nevertheless, these symptoms only suggest brain tumours, there are far more common causes of these symptoms. To confirm a diagnosis of brain tumours, investigations such as MRI, CT scan or PET scan needs to be done.

Please click on this link (DoctorOnCall) to talk to us privately online and discuss further about your inquiries. Thank you.

Do you know that your immune system plays role in the effectiveness of vaccines?

Prevention is better than cure. Is My Body Ready to Fight Infection? Find Out in only 5 short minutes!

Health Forum

Explore health related questions.