LAHORE: World Brain Tumour Day is observed worldwide every year on June 8. It is meant to create awareness about brain tumours among the public.

A press release quoted the principal of the Post-Graduate Medical Institute and Lahore General Hospital, Prof Dr Khalid Mahmood, as saying that thesetumours were uncommon and incidence rate for primary malignant and non-malignant brain tumours in the US was 22 cases per 100,000 people. Out of these, one-third were malignant.

`We do not have exact incidence of these tumours in Pakistan as we do not have central tumour registry for our population,` Dr Mahmood, himself a professor of neurosurgery, said.

He further stated that the exact causes of these tumours were not known. However there was an increased risk in certain raregenetic syndromes and childhood exposure to radiation. If a father or brother had brain tumour, there was no increased risk in his remaining children or family members.

Dr Mahmood said brain tumour symptoms include headaches, problems with vision, epilepsy, stroke, personality changes and drowsiness. If not diagnosed early, it may lead to a comatose condition.

Nowadays it was easy to diagnose these tumours with a contrast CT scan of the brain which was widely available.

According to him, there were100 types of brain tumours and not every tumour was cancerous.

Different types were present in different age groups. Recently there has been great improvement in its treatment in Pakistan which is at par with international standards. `Yet, there is a dire need for research grants and interdisciplinary approach tofurther improve survival of its patients here.

About the LGH, he said all modern diagnostic and operative facilities were available at the hospital.