Doctor Stresses Importance of Early Detection to Anticipate Brain Tumours

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Neurosurgeon Dr. Dhira Atman at Columbia Asia Hospital Pulomas, East Jakarta, has stressed the importance of early detection to prevent brain tumour conditions from worsening if symptoms are present. “Early detection is important, so when a sufferer feels continuous and worsening symptoms, they should immediately be taken to hospital for a check-up, so everything is detected,” Dhira said in East Jakarta on Monday. According to Dhira, many people only consult a doctor when headaches have become severely disruptive to daily activities. In fact, a prolonged and increasingly severe headache is one of the symptoms of a brain tumour. Furthermore, delayed diagnosis remains a challenge in treating brain tumour patients. One crucial step to ascertain the cause of headaches is undergoing imaging examinations such as a CT Scan or MRI if there are medical indications. “If the CT scan results are clear, we can also be more at ease because it is almost certain the cause is not a brain tumour,” Dhira stated. However, if the CT scan results suggest a tumour, the examination can be continued with a contrast-enhanced CT scan or an MRI so that the image of the tumour appears more clearly. “With contrast, the blood vessels feeding the tumour will be more visible, allowing the doctor to better assess the tumour’s condition, size, location, and characteristics before determining the most suitable therapy,” Dhira explained. The earlier a tumour is found, the greater the chance of taking action before damage to brain tissue occurs. Meanwhile, a delayed diagnosis makes therapy options more complex, both in terms of surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Furthermore, Dhira mentioned that a simple indicator to watch for is the duration of a headache. If a headache persists for more than a month, occurs almost daily, and shows no improvement despite taking medication, a doctor’s consultation is necessary. The doctor will then perform a physical examination and medical interview to determine whether the patient requires further tests. A normal CT scan result provides certainty that the headache is most likely caused by other factors, such as migraines, muscle tension, or other non-structural causes. However, people are often reluctant to undergo examinations due to a fear of learning their diagnosis. Besides the fear of diagnosis, the public often worries about the cost of examinations. Dhira noted that patients who meet the medical indications can undergo examinations through the BPJS Kesehatan referral scheme.