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An elderly man was diagnosed with a brain tumour after his symptoms were initially mistaken for depression. Sixty-four-year-old Richard West from the UK was declared anti-social, short-tempered, and forgetful when COVID-19 restrictions were lifted in 2021.

West says despite visiting doctors on several occasions, he was repeatedly told it was lockdown depression and was prescribed medication for anxiety. But after a psychological breakdown, he booked an MRI, which revealed a 2.8-inch tumour on the left frontal lobe of his brain.

Thereafter, he underwent surgery to remove the tumour, which was diagnosed as meningioma, the most common type of primary brain tumour. However, six weeks after radiotherapy, his tumour grew back, and he is now monitored with regular scans.

"I was depressed, short-tempered, and most worryingly, forgetful and anti-social. Deep down, I knew something wasn't right," Richard, a former university lecturer from Buckinghamshire, told The Sun. Richard said he was previously successfully treated for prostate cancer in 2020 and felt "numb" when scans revealed his brain tumour. "My thoughts immediately turned morbid," he said. "All I could think was, 'How long have I got?'"

A brain tumour is an abnormal growth or mass of cells in or around your brain. Together, spinal and brain tumours are known as central nervous system tumours. According to experts, these can be malignant or benign. While some tumours grow quickly, others are slow-growing.

Doctors say only around one-third of brain tumours are cancerous, but whether they are cancerous or not, brain tumours impact brain function and your health if they grow large enough to press on surrounding nerves, blood vessels, and tissue.

Some people who have a brain tumour experience no symptoms, especially if it’s very small. Doctors say signs and symptoms of a brain tumour vary depending on its location, size, and type, which include:

• Severe headaches
• Seizures
• Difficulty thinking, speaking, or understanding language
• Changes in personality
• Weakness or paralysis in one part of the body
• Balance issues
• Dizziness
• Vision problems
• Hearing issues
• Facial numbness
• Nausea or vomiting
• Confusion and disorientation

What causes brain tumours?

Doctors say brain tumours develop when certain genes on the chromosomes of a cell are damaged and no longer function properly. However, they are not sure what happens. The DNA in your chromosomes tells cells throughout your body what to do—it tells them when to grow, when to divide or multiply, and/or when to die.

When brain cell DNA changes, it gives your brain cells new instructions. Your body develops abnormal brain cells that grow and multiply faster than normal and sometimes live longer than normal. When that happens, the ever-growing crowd of abnormal cells takes over space in your brain.

In some cases, a person may be born with changes in one or more of these genes. Environmental factors, such as exposure to large amounts of radiation from X-rays or previous cancer treatment, may then lead to further damage.

In other cases, the environmental injury to the genes may be the only cause.

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