visiting your GP (family doctor)
Your GP will examine you and may arrange for you to have blood tests. There may be a number of reasons why you're feeling unwell, so it can be difficult to immediately diagnose the problem. If they can't find the cause, you'll be referred to a specialist at the hospital.
at the hospital
You may go straight to a doctor or hospital specialising in brain tumours, seeing either a neurologist (a specialist in brain disorders) or oncologist (cancer specialist), or you may see doctors with more general experience first.
If you're diagnosed with a brain tumour and not already seeing a specialist, you will be referred to one. You'll probably have to see a lot of doctors.
The hospital doctor will also examine you and arrange for more detailed tests, a variety of which may be needed to diagnose a brain tumour. These may include:
- x-rays
- CT scan or MRI scan, which will provide a detailed image of the inside of the brain
- electroencephalogram (EEG), showing electrical activity around the brain
- brain angiogram, which highlights the structure of the brain's blood vessels
- checking around the eyes - this can show any raised pressure in the head (known as 'raised intracranial pressure'). Eye tests are also used to check vision
- hearing tests
- nerve tests
- blood tests
- biopsy of the brain. In most situations doctors need to know whether the tumour is cancerous or benign. If it is cancer; they need to know the exact type. That’s where the biopsy comes in. This is where a small piece of the tumour is removed for analysis in the lab. It means going into hospital for a few days for an operation under general anaesthetic (where you're put into a deep sleep). During the operation, a small hole is made in the skull through which a fine needle is passed to remove a piece of the tumour. In some situations the exact type of tumour can’t be identified until the whole tumour (or part of it) is removed during surgery. This is called an excision biopsy.
Waiting for test results can be a scary time, but understanding a little about them - what will happen, how you'll feel and when you'll get the results - can help you cope.
If it is cancer, you might need a few more tests to check how your body is working in general. These could be blood tests, chest x-rays or tests looking at your heart (an echo-cardiogram or electrocardiogram - ECG), or tests to check your kidneys.
This may seem like a lot of tests, but they are necessary to help the doctors provide the right treatment for you.
