More people are being diagnosed with Davina McCall’s rare brain tumour due to advances in testing
MORE people are being diagnosed with Davina McCall’s extremely rare brain tumour type due to advances in testing.
Brain Tumour Research said the three in a million people found with a colloid cyst each year is rising thanks to MRI and CT scans.
It comes after Davina’s boyfriend Michael Douglas revealed Friday’s six-hour operation to remove her 14mm growth was a complete success — although the mum of three is now “utterly exhausted”.
Colloid cysts are benign and not cancerous, but can grow enough to put pressure on nerves and blood vessels in the brain.
It is thought they form in the embryo and go unnoticed until symptoms such as memory loss or headaches begin to show.
Continued growth can cause a build up of fluid in the brain, which can be life-threatening and requires urgent surgery.
Brain Tumour Research boss Dr Karen Noble said: “Colloid cysts are thought to be rare, with around 255 people in the UK diagnosed each year.
“Diagnosis is increasing due to widespread use of MRI and CT scans, as in Davina’s case.”
She added: “Early diagnosis is key to a positive long-term prognosis.”
The Masked Singer judge Davina, 57, was still in ICU last night as a “precaution”.
She earlier said her tumour was identified during a routine health check.
Symptoms of a benign brain tumour
A benign brain tumour is a mass of cells that grows relatively slowly in the brain.
Benign means it in not cancerous.
Non-cancerous brain tumours tend to stay in one place and do not spread.
Some slow-growing tumours may not cause any symptoms at first.
When symptoms occur, it’s because the tumour is putting pressure on the brain and preventing a specific area of the brain from working properly.
As the tumour grows and increases pressure in the skull, you might experience:
- New, persistent headaches that are sometimes worse in the morning or when bending over or coughing
- Feeling sick all the time
- Drowsiness
- Vision problems, such as blurred or double vision, loss of part of your visual field and temporary vision loss
- Epileptic seizures that may affect the whole body, or you may just have a twitch in one area
See a GP if you develop any of these symptoms.
They’ll examine you and ask about your symptoms.
If they suspect you may have a tumour or are not sure what’s causing your symptoms, they may refer you to a brain and nerve specialist for further investigation.
Source: NHS