HEALTH CHECK
The 5 subtle signs of a brain tumour you mustn’t ignore – as Davina McCall undergoes surgery and asks fans ‘pray for me’
The difference between benign and cancerous brain tumours
DAVINA McCall has received an outpouring of support after revealing that she's undergoing brain surgery to remove a 14mm tumour.
The TV star, 57, asked fans to "say a prayer for me" after sharing that a health scan had revealed the growth in her brain in a shocking turn of events.
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The phrase 'brain tumour' always sparks fears of cancer.
But in some cases, growths in the brain can be benign - meaning they don't contain cancerous cells and grow relatively slowly in the brain.
This was the case for Davina, who revealed that she had an extremely rare but non-cancerous tumour.
In a social media post, the Masked Singer judge said: "A few months ago, I did a menopause talk for a company and they offered me a health scan in return, which I thought I was gonna ace.
Read more on brain tumours
"But it turned out I had a benign brain tumour called a colloid cyst which is very rare.
"Three in a million. So I slightly put my head in the sand.
"I saw quite a few neurosurgeons, I got lots of opinions and I realised that I have to get it taken out."
A colloid cyst is a benign, fluid-filled sac that grows in an area deep in the brain known as the third ventricle.
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Benign brain tumours can often be slow growing and may not cause symptoms at first.
But people may develop headaches, drowsiness and vision problems as the tumour increases in size and exerts pressure on the brain.
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When symptoms occur, it's because the tumour is putting pressure on the brain and preventing a specific area of the brain from working properly.
But some symptoms are vague and could easily go missed.
Davina didn't reveal whether she'd experienced any symptoms from the tumour.
But she said that the growth was already quite large for "the space" and could cause consequences if it grew more.
Davina explained: "It's big for the space. It fills the space. It's 14mm wide and it needs to come out, because if it grows, it would be bad.
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"So I'm having it removed via a craniotomy.
"They go through the top of my head here and through the two halves of my brain to the middle, and get the cyst, take it out, empty it, take it out and Bob's your uncle."
Symptoms of a benign brain tumour
Some of the more subtle signs of a brain tumour include:
- New, persistent headaches that are sometimes worse in the morning or when bending over or coughing
- Feeling very tired
- Confusion in daily matters or memory issues
- Hearing problems
- Feeling hungry or gaining weight
You may also experience, according to the Mayo Clinic and NHS:
- Feeling sick all the time
- Drowsiness
- Vision problems, such as blurred or double vision, loss of part of your visual field and temporary vision loss
- Trouble with balance, dizziness or vertigo
- Losing feeling or movement in an arm or leg
- Personality or behaviour changes
- Speech problems
- Epileptic seizures that may affect the whole body, or you may just have a twitch in one area
If you get any of the above symptoms, it's important you get them seen to by a GP.
If they suspect you may have a tumour or are not sure what's causing your symptoms, they may refer you to a neurologist for further investigation.
Symptoms caused by a benign brain tumour tend to depend on its size and where it is in the brain.
According to the NHS, tumours growing in the frontal lobe - the front part of the brain - may cause changes in personality, weakness in one side of the body or loss of smell.
If it grows in the brain's left and right sides - known as the temporal lobe - you may experience memory, language problems or seizures.
The most common symptoms of a brain tumour
More than 12,000 Brits are diagnosed with a primary brain tumour every year — of which around half are cancerous — with 5,300 losing their lives.
The disease is the most deadly cancer in children and adults aged under 40, according to the Brain Tumour Charity.
Brain tumours reduce life expectancies by an average of 27 years, with just 12 per cent of adults surviving five years after diagnosis.
There are two main types, with non-cancerous benign tumours growing more slowly and being less likely to return after treatment.
Cancerous malignant brain tumours can either start in the brain or spread there from elsewhere in the body and are more likely to return.
Brain tumours can cause headaches, seizures, nausea, vomiting and memory problems, according to the NHS.
They can also lead to changes in personality weakness or paralysis on one side of the problem and problems with speech or vision.
The nine most common symptoms are:
- Headaches
- Seizures
- Feeling sick
- Being sick
- Memory problems
- Change in personality
- Weakness or paralysis on one side of the body
- Vision problems
- Speech problems
If you are suffering any of these symptoms, particularly a headache that feels different from the ones you normally get, you should visit your GP.
Source: NHS
A tumour in the parietal lobe could result in numbness or weakness in one side of the body and co-ordination problems, while one in the
occipital lobe may cause loss of vision on one side of the visual field.
Meanwhile, a growth in the cerebellum may cause balance problems flickering of the eyes and vomiting, but one in the brain stem – may cause unsteadiness and difficulty walking, facial weakness, double vision and difficulty speaking.
Benign brain tumours can usually be successfully removed with surgery and won't usually grow back.
If surgeons can't remove the whole tumour, it can be monitored with scans or treated with radiotherapy.
Davina shared that she was in "good spirits" before her op and asked asked fans to "say a prayer for me".
But she stressed that they didn't need to worry about her as she was in good hands.
Her partner, hairdresser Michael Douglas, appeared in the video alongside the TV host and it was he who shared the video to her Instagram page.
He wrote: "Davina be “off grid” for a bit while she recovers from this brain operation.
"She is in great shape and in very good hands.
"I’ll do the odd update from her account here for anyone interested.
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"I’m sure she’ll read all the comments when she’s able to so feel free to send love.
"The support of people is amazingly powerful.";
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