What are the methods for brain cancer examination

Tumors that grow inside the skull are generally called brain tumors, including primary brain tumors that originate from the brain parenchyma and secondary brain tumors that metastasize from other parts of the body to the skull. Intracranial tumors can occur at any age, but are most common between the ages of 20 and 50. So what are the methods for brain cancer screening?

1. Skull plain film: intracranial hypertension, pineal gland calcification and displacement, abnormal calcification, bone destruction, enlarged internal auditory canal, enlarged sella turcica, etc.

2. Cerebral angiography: It is not a routine examination for brain tumors, but it can be used to determine the anatomical relationship between the tumor and important blood vessels, the blood supply to the tumor, and preoperative embolization.

3. CT examination: CT examination has high density resolution and can easily show the calcium, bone, fat and fluid contained in the intracranial tumor; CT can show the ventricles, cisterns, dura mater and skull, which is beneficial to the anatomical relationship between the tumor and the adjacent parts. CT contrast-enhanced scanning can understand the blood supply of the tumor and the damage to the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier, which is beneficial to the display and characterization of the tumor. Spiral CT makes the resolution of the coronal and sagittal reconstructed images the same as that of the axial reconstructed images. Three-dimensional imaging, segmented imaging and CT angiography improve the accuracy of CT diagnosis of intracranial tumors.

4. Neuronuclear medicine examinations (PET and SPECT) can distinguish between benign and malignant tumors, postoperative residual tumors and scars.

5. Biopsy: Stereotactic biopsy is the standard biopsy technique for intracranial tumors. Multiple specimens should be obtained from different parts for serial biopsies to avoid diagnostic errors caused by tumor heterogeneity as much as possible.