Section 6. Brain, Spinal Cord, and Nerve Disorders

Chapter 88. Tumors of the Nervous System

Topics: Introduction | Brain Tumors | Spinal Cord Tumors | Neurofibromatosis | Radiation Damage to the Nervous System

Introduction

A tumor is an abnormal growth, whether noncancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant). In many parts of the body, a noncancerous tumor causes few or no problems. However, any abnormal growth or mass in the brain or spinal cord can cause considerable damage.

Cancers elsewhere in the body can cause symptoms of nervous system dysfunction even though there is no evidence that nerve tissue has been invaded. These disorders are called paraneoplastic syndromes (see Section 15, Chapter 181). Symptoms include dementia, mood swings, seizures, incoordination, dizziness, double vision, and abnormal eye movements. The most common effect, polyneuropathy, is a dysfunction of peripheral nerves (see Section 6, Chapter 95), resulting in muscle weakness, numbness, and tingling.