The biggest risk for brain cancer is ionizing radiation, such as a person would get from radiation treatment of a childhood cancer. People with a family history of astrocytomas are four times more likely to develop one however, it would still be unusual to develop a brain cancer even with a family history. A recent review found that there is a familial component to astrocytomas but not to glioblastomas.
Two of the more common types of primary brain cancers are astrocytomas and glioblastomas. Many cancers that can metastasize to the brain run in families. A primary brain cancer is one that starts in the brain, as opposed to when cancer in a different area of the body spreads to the brain, which is much more common. Primary brain cancers are uncommon, and there are different types. Should he get tested? Is this even something you can get tested for? - J.A.M.ĪNSWER: Many cancers run in families, some more so than others. Is it possible this could be hereditary? Neither of them had any kids, but they have an older brother. After having similar symptoms, my other cousin, his older sister, who is in her mid-60s, just had surgery to remove a cancerous brain tumor. ROACH: My cousin was in his mid-40s when he died of a brain tumor, over 10 years ago. As an internist, I would take the opportunity to make sure your risk for developing blockages in the arteries is as low as it can be, including a review of blood pressure, smoking, cholesterol, diet, exercise and stress.ĭEAR DR. If the eye doctor has done a complete exam and found nothing, that’s a good sign. Perhaps that is similar to what you are calling “kaleidoscope vision.” Many people will describe a “jagged” or “shimmering” appearance, making the diagnosis of migraine aura more likely. Some people can develop migraine aura without headache. F.M.ĪNSWER: Sudden changes in vision in a 70-year-old man should raise the concern about a blockage in the arteries to the eye however, the pattern you are describing sounds most likely to me to be a migraine aura. The eye doctor said it’s nothing to worry about. I spoke with two internists, and both suggested I see an eye specialist. It does not hinder my eyesight other than being very annoying. It started about five years ago, when I was 65. ROACH: Periodically, I suffer from kaleidoscope vision where my peripheral vision in the extreme right or left eye appears that I am looking through broken glass. If these headaches occur frequently, treatment may be designed to suppress their development.DEAR DR. Most patients with classic migraine headaches should see an internist or neurologist to confirm the diagnosis.
The migraine phenomena of headaches and/or auras, can also precipitated by caffeine, birth control pills, alcohol, hormonal fluctuations and stress. Ophthalmic migraines do not require treatment and generally have no associated cautions. When an aura is experienced without a headache, it is referred to as an ophthalmic migraine. These and other symptoms then trigger harmless impulses on the surface of the brain causing the section of the brain, the visual cortex, to falsely observe odd, non-eye-related, visual sensations, or the aura. Symptoms may be caused by significant changes in blood flow to the upper body, but most often, simply the sudden experience of reflected or bright light.
The visual aura is most often not associated with a headache, however an aura can precede the classic migraine headache.Īn aura is often characterized as a shimmering of vision, colored lights like a kaleidoscope, and/or a jagged edged shrinking of peripheral vision.
A migraine headache is usually a throbbing headache often accompanied by nausea, extreme sensitivity to light, sounds, tingling sensations, and on occasion, a visual disturbance called an aura.
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