A brain tumor is the abnormal cell growth inside the brain resulting in a tumor. A brain tumor may either be cancerous or non-cancerous. Brain tumors are either primary or secondary. The primary tumors are tumors that initiate inside the brain. Secondary tumors are the metastasized tumors, that are initiated at other organ and invade the rain. Brain tumor affects the nervous system. Which part of the nervous system and what all physiological processes are affected is decided by the size and location of the tumor. Several symptoms are experienced by the patient suffering from a brain tumor. These symptoms include vision problems, nausea and vomiting, difficulty speaking, poor spatial movement, seizures, personality changes, cognitive dysfunction, and loss of sensation due to damage of the nervous system in a particular area.
Brain Tumor Treatment Options
A brain tumor is diagnosed through various techniques. Initially, a physical evaluation is conducted to identify the presence of characteristic symptoms which relates to brain tumor such as speaking difficulty, difficulty in balancing or vision problems along with chronic headache. A brain tumor may also be diagnosed through imaging techniques. The confirmation of whether the brain tumor is cancerous or benign is done through biopsy. The treatment option decided by the doctor depends upon the location and size of the tumor. Various advanced brain tumor treatment options are available that helps in either complete removal or slow down the growth of the tumor. The increased growth of Brain tumor treatment market largely depends upon the efficacy of the modern treatment options. Surgery, radiotherapy, minimally invasive surgery, and targeted drug therapy are primarily used for the treatment of brain tumor. Oncolytic virus therapy, gene therapy, and blood-brain barrier disruption are some of the advanced technological treatment options currently under research. As the research is a continuous process and may anytime convert into a variable treatment option, always ask your doctor about the latest diagnostic and treatment options.
Brain Tumor Treatment Costs
The cost of brain tumor treatment depends upon the type of tumor and the optimum treatment option for managing the tumor. More complicated the treatment more would be the cost. Generally, the cost of a brain tumor is more as compared to the tumor in other parts of the body due to complicated surgery and high-cost post-operative care. Along with the high cost of treatment, palliative cmare in brain cancer patients are highest among all the cancer patients. Cost of brain tumor surgery in India is in the range of about $7000 to $12000 depending upon the complexity involved. Microsurgery costs around $10000 while Gamma Knife radiosurgery costs $7000. The cost of brain tumor surgery in India is almost 60-65% lower as compared to developed countries like US and UK.
Brain Tumor Treatment Market Forecast
The brain tumor treatment market will follow a robust growth in the period 2015-2019. The key drivers of the market include increased incidences of the brain tumor, increase in geriatric population and sophisticated diagnostic methods that help in the accurate diagnosis of the disease. Novel medications and increased acceptability of patients to the modern technologies and medications are also fueling up the growth. Further, research-based companies are infusing the capital to create new treatment options for the patients would make it a lucrative growth sector in the forecast period. Global tumor market is currently expected at the value of $ 1 billion, and through robust growth in the forecast period, it may go to $2 billion at a CAGR of above 12%. The global pediatric brain tumor market is expected to rise to about $1600 million in the forecast period. Drugs that may impact the overall growth of the market include Cisplatin, Erlotinib, Temozolomide, Bevacizumab, Carmustine, and Gefitinib along with other newly developed drugs. The users that form the bulk of this market are Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Individual Pharmacies, and Hospital Pharmacies.
The FDA is examining various new and advanced therapies for the treatment of a brain tumor. Most of the cases of are expected from Europe and North America and this may be the reason these regions may make up a larger part of the total global sales. The developing markets may stay behind due to their low investment in this particular therapeutic area. Treatment options that will rule the market in the forecast period are surgery, Radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Major players in the segment would be Pfizer, Astra Zeneca, BMS, Merck, Novartis, Genentech, and Hoffman-La Roche. Some of the brain cancers are rare and the speedy approval of the drugs in rare brain cancers also helps in the overall growth of this market. The vicious cycle of market growth and innovation helps this sector grow with high force.