Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

It IS a Tumor- Current Review of Headache and Brain Tumor

  • Uncommon Headache Syndromes (J Ailani, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Pain and Headache Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

“Do I have a tumor?” This is a question in every person’s mind when first confronted with a new-onset headache, a question that causes considerable anxiety among patients, leading them to seek medical evaluation. This publication reviews the current literature with respect to the epidemiology, pathophysiology presentation, and treatment of headaches in association with intracranial neoplasm.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

  1. Morgan M, Jenkins L, Ridsdale L. Patient pressure for referral for headache: a qualitative study of GPs' referral behaviour. Br J Gen Pract. 2007;57(534):29–35.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Eller M, Goadsby PJ. MRI in headache. Expert Rev Neurother. 2013;13(3):263–73.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Forsyth PA, Posner JB. Headaches in patients with brain tumors: a study of 111 patients. Neurology. 1993;43(9):1678–83. This reference is important since it is the first prospective study to formally test whether the features of headaches among brain tumor patients is consistent with the “classic” presentation.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Headache Classification Subcommittee of the International Headache Society. The international classification of headache disorders: 2nd edition. Cephalalgia. 2004;24 Suppl 1:9–160. This reference is important because it contains the criteria for tumor associated headache as well as the other headache disorders. The criteria are necessary to be able to standardize research methods and subject populations between studies regarding patients presenting with headache.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Morris Z, Whiteley WN, Longstreth Jr WT, Weber F, Lee YC, Tsushima Y, et al. Incidental findings on brain magnetic resonance imaging: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2009;339:b3016.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. American Academy of Neurology: Practice Guidelines. Evidence-Based Guidelines in the Primary Care Setting:Neuroimaging in Patients with Nonacute Headache. http://tools.aan.com/professionals/practice/pdfs/gl0088.pdf. This is a very important reference since it defines the “red flags” that clinicians should be aware of when assessing patients with headache and could serve as a useful guide for when to do additional diagnostics other than the history and physical examination.

  7. Kernick D, Stapley S, Goadsby PJ, Hamilton W. What happens to new-onset headache presented to primary care? A case-cohort study using electronic primary care records. Cephalalgia. 2008;28(11):1188–95.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Kernick DP, Ahmed F, Bahra A, Dowson A, Elrington G, Fontebasso M, et al. Imaging patients with suspected brain tumour: guidance for primary care. Br J Gen Pract. 2008;58(557):880–5.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Clarke CE, Edwards J, Nicholl DJ, Sivaguru A. Imaging results in a consecutive series of 530 new patients in the Birmingham Headache Service. J Neurol. 2010;257(8):1274–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Mitchell CS, Osborn RE, Grosskreutz SR. Computed tomography in the headache patient: is routine evaluation really necessary? Headache. 1993;33(2):82–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Knox J, Chuni C, Naqvi Z, Crawford P, Waring W. Presentations to an acute medical unit due to headache: a review of 306 consecutive cases. Acute Med. 2012;11(3):144–9.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Duarte J, Sempere AP, Delgado JA, Naranjo G, Sevillano MD, Clavería LE. Headache of recent onset in adults: a prospective population-based study. Acta Neurol Scand. 1996;94(1):67–70.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Lewis DW, Qureshi F. Acute headache in children and adolescents presenting to the emergency department. Headache. 2000;40(3):200–3.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Vázquez-Barquero A, Ibáñez FJ, Herrera S, Izquierdo JM, Berciano J, Pascual J. Isolated headache as the presenting clinical manifestation of intracranial tumors: a prospective study. Cephalalgia. 1994;14(4):270–2.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Pfund Z, Szapáry L, Jászberényi O, Nagy F, Czopf J. Headache in intracranial tumors. Cephalalgia. 1999;19(9):787–90. discussion 765.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Valentinis L, Tuniz F, Valent F, Mucchiut M, Little D, Skrap M, et al. Headache attributed to intracranial tumours: a prospective cohort study. Cephalalgia. 2010;30(4):389–98. This reference is important since it is the most recent prospective study to examine patients with brain tumor and headache using the most recent iteration of the International Headache Society Classification criteria.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Argyriou AA, Chroni E, Polychronopoulos P, Argyriou K, Papapetropoulos S, Corcondilas M, et al. Headache characteristics and brain metastases prediction in cancer patients. Eur J Cancer Care (Engl). 2006;15(1):90–5.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Abe T, Matsumoto K, Kuwazawa J, Toyoda I, Sasaki K. Headache associated with pituitary adenomas. Headache. 1998;38(10):782–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Levy MJ, Matharu MS, Meeran K, Powell M, Goadsby PJ. The clinical characteristics of headache in patients with pituitary tumours. Brain. 2005;128(Pt 8):1921–30.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Gondim JA, de Almeida JP, de Albuquerque LA, Schops M, Gomes E, Ferraz T. Headache associated with pituitary tumors. J Headache Pain. 2009;10(1):15–20.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Schankin CJ, Reifferscheid AK, Krumbholz M, Linn J, Rachinger W, Langer S, et al. Headache in patients with pituitary adenoma: clinical and paraclinical findings. Cephalalgia. 2012;32(16):1198–207.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Dandy WE. Diagnosis, localization and removal of tumors of the third ventricle. Johns Hopkins Hosp Bull. 1922;33:188–9.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Desai KI, Nadkarni TD, Muzumdar DP, Goel AH. Surgical management of colloid cyst of the third ventricle–a study of 105 cases. Surg Neurol. 2002;57(5):295–302. discussion 302–4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Guillem A, Barriga FJ, Giménez-Roldán S. Nummular headache associated to arachnoid cysts. J Headache Pain. 2009;10(3):215–7.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Edvardsson B, Persson S. Cluster headache and arachnoid cyst. Springerplus. 2013;2(1):4.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Kang SY, Choi JC, Kang JH, Lee JS. Huge supratentorial arachnoid cyst presenting as an orgasmic headache. Neurol Sci. 2012;33(3):639–41.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Katzman GL, Dagher AP, Patronas NJ. Incidental findings on brain magnetic resonance imaging from 1000 asymptomatic volunteers. JAMA. 1999;282(1):36–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Chazot G, Claustrat B, Broussolle E, Lapras C, et al. Headache and depression: recurrent symptoms in adult pinealectomized patients. In: Nappi G et al., editors. Headache and depression: serotonin pathways as a common clue. New York: Raven Press; 1991. p. 299–303.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Claustrat B, Brun J, Chazot G. The basic physiology and pathophysiology of melatonin. Sleep Med Rev. 2005;9(1):11–24.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Peres MF. Melatonin, the pineal gland and their implications for headache disorders. Cephalalgia. 2005;25(6):403–11.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Loghin M, Levin VA. Headache related to brain tumors. Curr Treat Options Neurol. 2006;8(1):21–32.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Favier I, van Vliet JA, Roon KI, Witteveen RJ, Verschuuren JJ, Ferrari MD, et al. Trigeminal autonomic cephalgias due to structural lesions: a review of 31 cases. Arch Neurol. 2007;64(1):25–31.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Favier I, Haan J, Ferrari MD. Cluster headache: to scan or not to scan. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2008;12(2):128–31.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Nawar RN, AbdelMannan D, Selman WR, Arafah BM. Pituitary tumor apoplexy: a review. J Intensive Care Med. 2008;23(2):75–90.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Chen L, White WL, Spetzler RF, Xu B. A prospective study of nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas: presentation, management, and clinical outcome. J Neurooncol. 2011;102(1):129–38.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Goldlust SA, Graber JJ, Bossert DF, Avila EK. Headache in patients with cancer. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2010;14(6):455–64.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Williams G, Ball JA, Lawson RA, Joplin GF, Bloom SR, Maskill MR. Analgesic effect of somatostatin analogue (octreotide) in headache associated with pituitary tumours. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1987;295(6592):247–8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Levy MJ, Matharu MS, Goadsby PJ. Prolactinomas, dopamine agonists and headache: two case reports. Eur J Neurol. 2003;10(2):169–73.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Schankin CJ, Krumbholz M, Sostak P, Reinisch VM, Goldbrunner R, Straube A. Headache in patients with a meningioma correlates with a bone-invasive growth pattern but not with cytokine expression. Cephalalgia. 2010;30(4):413–24.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Obermann M, Holle D, Naegel S, Diener HC. Headache attributable to nonvascular intracranial disorders. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2011;15(4):314–23.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

Conflict of Interest

Dr. Kevin Kahn is a board member for the Carolina Headache Foundation, is employed by the Carolina Headache Institute, and is a consultant for the National Football League. Dr. Kahn has received honoraria from Nautilus Neurosciences and Impax Laboratories.

Dr. Alan Finkel declares no potential conflicts of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Carolina Headache Institute, 103 Market St, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, USA

    Kevin Kahn & Alan Finkel

Authors
  1. Kevin Kahn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alan Finkel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kevin Kahn.

Additional information

This article is part of the Topical Collection on Uncommon Headache Syndromes

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kahn, K., Finkel, A. It IS a Tumor- Current Review of Headache and Brain Tumor. Curr Pain Headache Rep 18, 421 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-014-0421-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-014-0421-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation