Tumefactive multiple sclerosis is a rare form of multiple sclerosis that involves a mass in the brain. It may resemble some other conditions, including cancerous tumors and tuberculomas.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that affects the body’s central nervous system. It happens when the immune system mistakenly attacks myelin, a white, fatty substance that covers the nerves.
The myelin sheath around nerve fibers conducts electrical signals and protects the nerves. In people with MS, there is scarring on the myelin sheath. This damage causes areas of plaques and lesions and the loss of certain functions.
When there is damage or breakage in the myelin sheath, the electrical impulses that the brain sends to the muscles do not work properly. This results in symptoms such as muscle weakness, pain, tingling, fatigue, and changes in vision and hearing.
Tumefactive MS is a rare form of MS. The symptoms can be similar to those of a brain tumor, cancer, or an infection.
During diagnosis, as well as a brain tumor or brain abscess, tumefactive MS may resemble tuberculoma, primary Sjögren syndrome, sarcoidosis, or other inflammatory or infectious conditions.
Demyelination can occur with various conditions, and tumefactive demyelination can resemble tumors or other medical issues.
However, in a
Imaging tests may show a
People with tumefactive MS tend to have symptoms that are different from other MS types.
These include:
- headaches
- confusion
- changes in thinking
- speaking and understanding speech difficulties
- seizures
- weakness
A person may also experience mass effect, which is the effect a lesion has on surrounding brain tissues.
Mass effect can cause nausea, drowsiness, headaches, visual disturbances, and even behavioral changes.
A person will often recover from a flare of symptoms with tumefactive MS, but the symptoms may return.
Often, a person with tumefactive MS will develop relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), which is the most common type of MS. A person will experience times when symptoms worsen, followed by a period of recovery.
A few people with tumefactive MS will experience minimal or no symptoms, according to the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center.
What is relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS)? Find out more here.
Doctors do not know what causes tumefactive MS, but scientists consider it an inflammatory demyelinating disease.
The lesions are a symptom of MS, which results from a faulty immune response causing inflammation and the destruction of myelin.
Image credit: The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, (2008, July 2).
Diagnosing tumefactive MS is difficult because it can resemble other medical conditions, including brain tumors and cancer.
Demyelination, which is the key feature of MS, can also occur with a number of infectious diseases, including lupus and neuromyelitis optica.
Ways to confirm the condition and to rule out other diseases include:
- MRI scans
- biopsy
- cerebrospinal fluid test from a lumbar puncture
- nerve function tests
- blood tests
A person with tumefactive MS will have
Tumefactive MS is a rare condition that involves large lesions on a person’s brain that can resemble a tumor. There is no cure, and a doctor will treat the condition on a case by case basis.