Headaches and Brain Tumors

A careful history and physical examination remain the most important aspects of headache assessment. enabling the neurologist to decide if any further studies are necessary. Only a minority of patients who have headaches have brain tumors; however, recognition of the headaches characteristically associated with tumors is most important. Some locations are more likely to produce headache (eg, a posterior fossa tumor causes headache more often than a supratentorial tumor). Rapidly growing tumors are more likely to be associated with headache. Uncommon headache presentations can occur with tumors, includin paroxysmal cough, cluster headache, and TACs. The classic brain tumor headache is not as common as a tension-type presentation or migraine. Patients who have prior primary headaches may have more headache symptoms if they have a tumor and of course they still have their primary headache disorder. Mass lesions progress and inevitably develop other symptoms and signs besides headache, and these new symptoms and signs must be sought and found. Metastatic leptomeningeal involvement can present with headache and spinal pain in the neck and back. Imaging of headache patients for tumors, if they have primary headache disorders, such as migraine and typical cluster, generally is not cost effective but is necessary if there are any atypical features. Treatment of headache in patients who have metastatic brain tumors should be aggressive in terms of pain and symptoms control. Treatment of primary CNS tumors is dictated by the kind of neoplasm and site, but control of headache should not be ignored.