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A doctor has warned that women should be aware they could be at risk of developing a benign brain tumour as Davina McCall announced her heartbreaking diagnosis.
Former Big Brother presenter and larger-than-life celebrity Davina, 57, announced on Friday (15 November) that doctors had discovered a ‘very rare’ brain tumour during a medical examination.
In a video posted to social media, the mother-of-three revealed she was set to undergo a craniotomy to remove a 14mm wide colloid cyst from her brain.
“They go through the top of my head here, and through the two halves of my brain to the middle, get the cyst, empty it, take it out, and Bob’s your uncle,” she said. “So say a prayer for me. I am in good spirits.”
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Much like Davina has described, a craniotomy is a surgical removal of part of the bone from the skull to expose the brain, writes Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Some procedures may utilise MRI or CT scans to reach the precise location within the brain, while others often use a light scope to pinpoint where the brain tumour is.
The fitness guru has received an outpouring of support from fans and famous faces alike, with Girls Aloud's Kimberly Wyatt and author Annie MacManus leading the charge.
Davina's diagnosis should be a warning to women, who have previously been advised by a specialist to look out for the tell-tale symptoms of benign brain tumours.
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What does an expert say about benign brain tumours?
According to neurological surgeon Toral Patel, women are unfortunately more at risk of developing two types of benign brain tumours compared to their male counterparts.
The first is meningiomas, a tumour that grows from the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, states the Mayo Clinic.
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The other is pituitary adenomas. These growths are found in the pituitary gland and are usually noncancerous.
However, they can interfere with normal pituitary function and cause major health issues.
Why are women more at risk of developing benign brain tumours?
“One theory about why women develop more benign brain tumours is that women have higher levels of oestrogen than men,” Dr Patel told the US Southwestern Medical Center in 2019.
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“When we test meningiomas, some have oestrogen receptors, which means that the tumours can be fuelled by oestrogen.
“This could explain why some meningiomas grow during pregnancy when hormone levels are higher than normal.”
Dr Patel also explained that lifestyle choices don’t appear to affect a woman’s risk for developing a brain tumour and that the only known external risk is ‘significant radiation exposure’.
She stated that just because your medical practitioner has confirmed your brain tumour is ‘not cancerous’, it doesn’t mean that no treatment is needed.
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Instead, be sure to have your neoplasm evaluated by a neurosurgeon so you can understand the risks and benefits that go hand-in-hand with surgery.
Common symptoms of benign brain tumours
Dr Patel states that women suffering from pituitary adenomas may experience changes in their menstrual cycle. This is because this type of brain tumour affects the pituitary gland.
Other symptoms include loss of peripheral vision, a change in weight, energy levels, urination and even shoe size.
Meanwhile, women with meningiomas will often suffer from headaches in the early hours of the morning and may even be woken up in the middle of the night by the pain.
The specialist advises that any adult who is suffering from a ‘new onset of severe headaches should see their primary care physician’ as soon as possible.
Benign brain tumour treatment - surgical and nonsurgical
Davina’s decision to undergo surgery is one of the ways that practitioners can treat a benign brain tumour - but it isn’t the only method.
Nonsurgical treatments are an option for women who have small tumours which do not pose an immediate threat to their health.
Doctors will instead begin actively monitoring the growth. It’s possible that this method can continue for years, as long as the tumour remains stable in size and you don’t experience any adverse symptoms.
The NHS states that if surgery does take place and the tumour cannot be completely removed, there is a risk it could grow back. In this case, it'll be closely monitored using scans or treated with radiotherapy.
Ella Scott