This is how diffuse glioma is diagnosed, the cancer that is mistaken for back pain and grows rapidly.
No one would think a priori that back or neck pain , which is often associated with poor posture or stress, could lead to a cancer diagnosis a few weeks later, let alone that there's a connection to the brain. But it is, and although it's a rare type of tumor , dozens of people in Spain suffer from it each year. What are its characteristics?
Diffuse gliomas , especially diffuse midline glioma (DIPG), have a variable incidence and low survival rates , particularly in children. The incidence of DIPG in Europe is around 300 cases per year. High-grade gliomas , such as glioblastoma, have an incidence of 2–3 cases per 100,000 people in Europe and North America.
Glioma arises from cell multiplication that It can begin in the brain or spinal cord . When tumor cells increase in size, they put pressure on the brain or spinal cord tissue , and that's when the first symptoms appear , which will depend on whether one area or the other is most affected.
Other symptoms besides back painThe problem with this type of cancer is that its initial symptoms are easily masked by other mild conditions, and therefore, diagnosis requires a multidisciplinary approach . Although between 15 and 20 percent of cases of posterior fossa or midline glioma present with lower back or neck pain , it is important to be alert for additional and unexplained symptoms, such as nausea or cognitive impairment.
These types of tumors are described as "diffuse" because the cells infiltrate healthy brain tissue without any defined boundaries. And although, as already mentioned, the warning signs are not initially very definitive of a cancerous pathology , specialists assure that various symptoms can be identified that would indicate that it is not just back pain . We are talking about:
- Back and lower back pain accompanied by morning sickness, without gastrointestinal cause.
- Stiff neck and blurred or double vision.
- Pain that worsens when lying down and is associated with intracranial hypertension.
- Sudden onset of motor clumsiness or personality changes.
Prevention is a fundamental term in general terms in the health field, but even more so when referring to diseases as complex and with an uncertain prognosis as cancer. In this sense, the diffuse symptoms of this tumor explain the high rates of diagnostic delay that characterize it.
A recent study found that up to 30 percent of glioma patients consulted for back and/or neck pain and had a delay in final diagnosis of between three and six months . This means that, in the first instance, the first hypothesis considered in medical consultations is usually overexertion or poor posture. Another factor is that brain signals are often underestimated during tests.
ReferencesMayo Clinic (n.d.). Glioma: Symptoms and Causes. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/glioma/symptoms-causes/syc-20350251
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