Life after a brain tumour can bring many changes. This guide explains the most common brain tumour after effects, what usually helps, and when to speak to your clinical team. You will also find links to support groups and practical help.
After surgery for a brain tumour, some people notice changes in themselves. These after effects, sometimes referred to as a non-traumatic acquired brain injury, depend on the surgery that was needed and where in the brain the tumour was.
One of the most common after effects of brain surgery, and of brain tumours in general, is fatigue, which can affect many of the abilities we rely on in daily life.
Cognitive functions such as reasoning, thinking, planning and organisation are commonly affected, in different ways and to different degrees for each person.
Memory, short term or long term, can also be affected. Some people lose chunks of memory, and in some cases find it hard to recognise someone they have known for years.
One or more of the senses, such as hearing, smell, taste or touch, can become heightened. This is known as sensory overload, and it happens when the brain cannot process information from the senses as easily as it could before.
Speech is also commonly affected. There are different ways this can happen, and one of the most common is aphasia, which has several forms explained below.
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Brain tumour after effects
Aphasia, sometimes called dysphasia, is a language difficulty caused by damage to the parts of the brain that control language. It can affect speaking, understanding what others say, reading and writing. The NHS lists a brain tumour among its causes, alongside stroke, head injury and conditions such as dementia.
Aphasia affects language, not intelligence. It can be mild or severe. Some people mainly struggle with one thing, such as naming objects or reading, while others find several areas of communication harder. The type of aphasia depends on which part of the brain is affected.
A speech and language therapist can assess which parts of communication are affected and work with the person on strategies and exercises to help.
For people with a brain tumour, speech and language changes can be caused by the tumour itself or by surgery. The Brain Tumour Charity explains that neurosurgery can lead to speech and language difficulties if the area operated on is involved in communication. These changes may be temporary and reduce as you recover, but for some people they are permanent. Our guide to brain tumour speech problems explains which parts of the brain are involved.
This TEDx talk, Lost Words, looks at aphasia and how technology can help with communication.
Brain tumour after effects
Global aphasia is the most severe type. It happens when several of the brain’s language areas are affected, so speaking and understanding are both very difficult, as the Stroke Association explains. Reading and writing are usually affected too.
Thinking and intelligence outside of language can remain intact. Many people improve with time and therapy, so it is worth asking about speech and language therapy as early as possible.
Brain tumour after effects
Mixed non-fluent aphasia is a term some specialists use when speech is limited and effortful, as with expressive aphasia, but understanding is also affected. A speech and language therapist can explain which pattern applies to an individual.
Brain tumour after effects
Expressive aphasia, also called Broca’s or non-fluent aphasia, mainly affects speaking. People often find it hard to get the right words out, so speech can be slow, with short phrases and frequent pauses. Understanding is often much better than speech.
The Brain Tumour Charity explains that it can happen when an area of the frontal lobe is affected. Because understanding is often good, the person is usually aware of their difficulties, which can be very frustrating. Writing can also be affected.
Brain tumour after effects
Receptive aphasia, also called Wernicke’s or fluent aphasia, mainly affects understanding. Speech may flow easily, but it often does not make complete sense and can include the wrong words or made-up words.
It can happen when part of the temporal lobe is affected. Reading may be affected too. Because understanding is harder, short, clear sentences and non-verbal communication, such as gestures, pictures and facial expressions, can help, as Headway suggests.
Brain tumour after effects
Anomic aphasia is one of the milder types. Speech and grammar are generally fine, but the person struggles to find the right word for things, especially names of people, places and objects. They may describe the word instead, or use general words such as “thing”.
Some people with brain tumours have difficulty finding words, as The Brain Tumour Charity notes. It can feel like having a word on the tip of your tongue.
Brain tumour after effects
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is not caused by a brain tumour. It is a form of dementia in which problems with language are the main early symptoms, and those problems gradually get worse over time. We include it here because its symptoms overlap with other types of aphasia.
The Alzheimer’s Society describes two main language-led types: semantic variant PPA, where a person gradually forgets the meaning of words, and non-fluent variant PPA, where speech becomes slow and effortful. Unlike aphasia after a brain tumour, stroke or head injury, PPA does not usually improve, although speech and language therapy can still help people find other ways to communicate.
If you are worried about language changes that are getting worse over time, speak to your GP.
Brain tumour after effects
Aphasia does not always fit neatly into one type, and a speech and language therapist can assess each person’s pattern of difficulties. Some people mainly have problems with reading or writing.
Some reading problems are caused by changes to vision rather than language, so it is worth mentioning any reading difficulties to your clinical team.
Information sources: NHS, Stroke Association, Headway, Alzheimer’s Society and The Brain Tumour Charity guidance.
