Everyone gets headaches. Everyone misplaces their phone or forgets a name now and then. Most of the time, these moments are harmless \u2013 the result of stress, fatigue, or just a busy mind. Yet they\u2019re also examples of symptoms that can, in rare cases, signal something far more serious: a brain tumour.<\/p>\n
So how can you tell the difference between a brain tumour<\/a> and an ordinary tension headache<\/a>, stress, a poor night\u2019s sleep, or even a hangover<\/a>?<\/p>\n As part of my research<\/a> into earlier detection of brain tumours, I spoke with patients who had been diagnosed with one. Their experiences revealed a recurring pattern: both patients and GPs often dismissed early symptoms, which sometimes led to delays in diagnosis. This echoes findings from a previous study<\/a> showing that people frequently overlook the warning signs. This is a problem because brain tumours require more invasive treatment if they\u2019re not detected early.<\/p>\n Brain tumour symptoms often resemble everyday experiences \u2013 tiredness, stress, migraines, or the menopause \u2013 and overlap with much more common conditions such as anxiety, sinus infections, or chronic headaches.<\/p>\n When symptoms are vague or subtle, they can be easy to ignore or rationalise away. In a healthcare system<\/a> where GP appointments can be difficult to get, patients may wait until symptoms become impossible to dismiss. One patient I spoke with told me: \u201cI think probably I had symptoms about certainly two or three months before.\u201d<\/p>\n Here are seven symptoms described by patients in my study, all of which were easy to mistake for something else.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to stress that having one or more of these symptoms doesn\u2019t mean you have a brain tumour. But if something feels persistently \u201coff\u201d or out of character for your body, it\u2019s worth getting checked.<\/p>\n 1. Difficulty finding words<\/p>\n Some people noticed they struggled to think of specific words, form full sentences, or join in conversations without a delay. One patient said the experience felt \u201codd and out of character\u201d, but they dismissed it at the time. Another wrote down their symptoms because they couldn\u2019t say them out loud, knowing something was not quite right, but they \u201ccouldn\u2019t explain to anyone what was going on\u201d.<\/p>\n Word-finding problems can sometimes be linked to fatigue, stress, or even anxiety \u2013 but when they persist or come on suddenly, they may warrant further investigation.<\/p>\n 2. Brain fog<\/p>\n Several patients described a general fogginess: difficulty focusing, thinking clearly, or remembering things. One booked a GP appointment but by the time it came around, they had forgotten why they\u2019d made it, leading to a missed diagnosis.<\/p>\n Brain fog can have many triggers including menopause, poor sleep, or stress. One family member recalled: \u201cWhen the symptoms came up, the answer was, \u2018She\u2019s going through the menopause.\u2019\u201d But when brain fog is accompanied by other neurological changes, such as speech or vision problems, it\u2019s important to take note.<\/p>\n Read more: Menopause and brain fog: why lifestyle medicine could make a difference<\/a> <\/p>\n 3. Numbness or tingling<\/p>\n Some people reported tingling or numbness that shifted around the body. Two patients noticed it affected only one side: \u201cHalf of my lower right side of my face and half my tongue, half of the inside of my mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n This can happen when a tumour affects the brain\u2019s sensory or motor control areas \u2013 the regions that send and receive signals to different parts of the body. While numbness can have other explanations (such as trapped nerves, poor circulation, or migraines), new or one-sided symptoms should always be checked.<\/p>\n 4. Visual disturbance<\/p>\n Changes in vision were another early sign. One patient experienced double vision while watching TV and assumed they needed new glasses. Another said straight lines appeared curved. \u201cI thought they\u2019d sent us a load of dodgy mugs because they\u2019re all oval, and people looked at me going: \u2018What are you on about?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Visual changes can have many causes, including eye strain or migraines. But sudden or unusual distortions \u2013 especially when they occur alongside other neurological symptoms, such as headaches, dizziness, difficulty speaking, weakness or numbness on one side of the body, or problems with coordination \u2013 warrant medical attention.<\/p>\n 5. Messy handwriting<\/p>\n Several patients noticed their hand-eye coordination changing. One recalled: \u201cThere was one moment when I couldn\u2019t write. I was writing some notes in a meeting, and then it just became really messy writing.\u201d<\/p>\n Small coordination changes can sometimes be due to fatigue or distraction, but consistent deterioration in writing, fine motor skills, or balance can signal problems with the brain\u2019s motor control areas, which coordinate movements such as writing or buttoning a shirt.<\/p>\n 6. Personality changes<\/p>\n Altered behaviour or mood can be subtle but telling. One patient thought their irritability and loss of motivation were just signs of burnout: \u201cI didn\u2019t really put two and two together. I just wanted to retire because I was fed up with it.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s natural for personality to fluctuate with life changes or stress, but sudden or marked differences, especially alongside other symptoms, may indicate something more.<\/p>\n 7. Headaches<\/p>\n Headaches are common and usually nothing to worry about. But for some of the patients I spoke with, the pain was constant and unrelenting, lasting for weeks. \u201cIt was lasting over a week, and it was pretty much coming on daily,\u201d one said.<\/p>\n Read more: Why your migraine might be making you crave a large Coke and fries<\/a> <\/p>\n Improving diagnosis<\/p>\n My current research investigates whether new tools can help GPs identify potential brain tumours earlier. These include cognitive function tests<\/a>, which can assess memory, attention and language skills and liquid biopsies<\/a>: blood tests that look for fragments of tumour DNA circulating in the bloodstream.<\/p>\n Because brain tumour symptoms are so varied and often overlap with everyday conditions, diagnosis is difficult. Most of the time, the symptoms listed here will have nothing to do with cancer. But when unusual changes occur together<\/a> or persist longer than expected, they shouldn\u2019t be ignored.<\/p>\n The patients I spoke with all shared the same message: if something doesn\u2019t feel normal for you, get it checked. Even if it turns out to be nothing serious, that reassurance is worth it.<\/p>\n This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n Laura Standen receives funding from Barts Charity. <\/p>\n Suzanne Scott receives funding for research from Barts Charity, National Institute of Health and Care Research, Cancer Research UK, Google LLC, and Oracle Head and Neck Cancer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Everyone gets headaches. Everyone misplaces their phone or forgets a name now and then. 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