Cancer and Neuroscience: The Facts
- Amay Kamath
- Feb 14, 2021
- 2 min read
Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system and how it functions in our day to day lives. The earliest form of neuroscience being practiced was in Ancient Egypt through a process called “trepanation”. Trepanation was the drilling or scraping of a hole in the skull to view a brain, the most important organ in the nervous system, and heal cranial problems(pressure, head injuries, and mental disorder). In the Renaissance period, intellectuals like Descartes and Willis helped to make many contributions in this field. And the Golgi stain allowed scientists to view individual neurons. There are 25+ branches of neuroscience, all varying in what is specifically studied.
Neuro-oncology is the study of brain & spinal cord tumors that may be malignant and dangerous to our body. Some types of these tumors are gliomas, astrocytomas, and ependymomas. Tumors that affect the CNS can occur at any age and vary from person to person, depending on their lifestyle and genetics. There are many different ways to identify these tumors, from CT scans and MRI to LP(lumbar puncture) and CSF(cerebrospinal fluid) analysis. Basically Neuro-oncology is the study of cancerous tissue growth and the resulting swelling. Some commonly used treatments to heal these tumors are very similar to cancer treatment techniques. These include radiotherapy, chemotherapy, corticosteroids, and neurosurgical interventions. Clinical problems found in neuro-oncology are constipation, headaches, hiccups, insomnia etc. Palliative care is another treatment option offered to patients suffering from cancer and it helps prevent/treat symptoms & side effects of the disease and its treatment.
Both Neuroscience and Neuro-oncology relate to the topic of cancer because they’re both used to innovate treatments, diagnose tools, and explore new ways to control the neurological side effects of some cance treatments.
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