Adult primary brain tumours: presentation, diagnosis, treatment and complications
Intended for healthcare professionals
CPD    

Adult primary brain tumours: presentation, diagnosis, treatment and complications

James Tallant Clinical nurse specialist, Neuro-Oncology, Charing Cross Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, England
Shivani Soni Lead clinical nurse specialist, Neuro-Oncology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To ensure that your knowledge of the classification and diagnosis of brain tumours is up to date

  • To enable you to recognise the presenting symptoms of brain tumours, and to understand the available treatments

  • To count towards revalidation as part of your 35 hours of CPD, or you may wish to write a reflective account (UK readers)

  • To contribute towards your professional development and local registration renewal requirements (non-UK readers)

Primary malignant brain tumours are aggressive tumours with limited treatment options, and as such they remain the largest cause of cancer-related deaths in men aged under 45 years and women aged under 35 years. Benign brain tumours are frequently treated with the intention to cure them. Both malignant and benign brain tumours often cause long-term, debilitating neurological effects, and if they recur can be fatal.

This article outlines the updated World Health Organization classification of adult primary brain tumours, as well as their treatment and predicted outcomes. It also identifies the role of cancer specialist nurses in supporting patients and their families.

Cancer Nursing Practice. doi: 10.7748/cnp.2021.e1759

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

james.tallant@nhs.net

Conflict of interest

None declared

Tallant J, Soni S (2021) Adult primary brain tumours: presentation, diagnosis, treatment and complications. Cancer Nursing Practice. doi: 10.7748/cnp.2021.e1759

Published online: 16 August 2021

Want to read more?

RCNi-Plus
Already have access? Log in

or

3-month trial offer for £5.25/month

Subscribe today and save 50% on your first three months
RCNi Plus users have full access to the following benefits:
  • Unlimited access to all 10 RCNi Journals
  • RCNi Learning featuring over 175 modules to easily earn CPD time
  • NMC-compliant RCNi Revalidation Portfolio to stay on track with your progress
  • Personalised newsletters tailored to your interests
  • A customisable dashboard with over 200 topics
Subscribe

Alternatively, you can purchase access to this article for the next seven days. Buy now


Are you a student? Our student subscription has content especially for you.
Find out more