If you are unable to work because of a brain tumour you may be able to make a TPD claim for a lump sum from the Total & Permanent Disablement insurance contained within your superannuation fund. There is no necessity for you to have been involved in an accident or to have suffered a work related injury to make a TPD claim. If you suffer from total and permanent disability, you may be able to make a TPD claim in addition to receiving your super early as a result of your condition. Our solicitors can advise you in detail as to the requirements of a successful submission, they will prepare all relevant paperwork and will obtain full supporting documentation. Our lawyers will give you free advice on the likely success of your claim to a super fund, without further obligation. It costs nothing to use our free advice service.

Our TPD claim solicitors use a risk free no win no fee arrangement.

We have offices situated in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Darwin.

Brain Tumour - TPD

Brain tumours can be benign or malignant. It is far better to have a benign brain tumour than it is to have a malignant one because many malignant brain tumours are metastatic and are often multiple tumours in the brain. Only radiation and chemotherapy can manage these tumours. Benign brain tumours are almost always single tumours that do not follow the normal pattern of cell growth and division. The mass of cells created in a benign brain tumour does not look like regular brain tissue and therefore can be seen on a CT scan or an MRI scan of the brain.

Benign brain tumours grow slowly and don’t invade surrounding tissue. They do, however, put pressure on surrounding brain tissue and can cause seizures, headaches and some neurological findings, depending on the size and location of the brain tumour. Brain tumours can usually be removed by surgery and it would be rare to use chemotherapy or radiation to treat them. Benign brain tumours tend not to metastasize except in very rare cases.

The exact cause of benign brain tumours isn’t known but doctors believe that they are related to a family history of benign brain tumours, radiation exposure or exposure to chemicals such as formaldehyde or vinyl chloride. Benign brain tumours can occur at any age.

The biggest risk of benign brain tumours is the way they can compress normal brain tissue and blood vessels within the brain. It can increase the pressure within the brain, resulting in headaches and other neurological symptoms. Some benign brain tumours are, in fact, slow growing malignant cancers of the brain but they are still treated as benign because they are unlikely to metastasize and can be removed solely with surgery.

The major symptoms of brain tumours depend on where they are located. There can be visual disturbances such as poor vision, tunnel vision and double vision. There can be hearing loss or ringing in the ears, called tinnitus. Balance and coordination can be affected. There can also be problems with mental cognition, including memory, concentration and speech patterns. Seizures can occur as primary symptoms and there can be a change in sensations of smell and taste. Nausea and vomiting are possible. Paralysis of facial muscles can occur and headaches are common. You can have numbness in the extremities or trunk from pressure on sensory nerves.

Benign brain tumours usually arise from brain tissue itself or from blood vessel tissue or connective tissue. Some benign brain tumours include meningiomas, which arise from the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. About 20 percent of brain tumours are meningiomas. Another is a schwannoma, which is also called an acoustic neuroma. This results from a tumour arising in the 8th cranial nerve and accounts for about 9 percent of all brain tumours. Pituitary gland adenomas account for about 8 percent of tumours in the brain. Hemangioblastomas come from blood vessels and can sometimes be cystic. Two percent of brain tumours are hemangioblastomas. Craniopharyngiomas are cystic tumours that come from remnants of the nasopharynx and usually occur in children. One to three percent of tumours are of this type. Choroid plexus papillomas arise from the tissue that makes the cerebrospinal fluid and usually blocks the flow of the cerebrospinal fluid. This also usually occurs in children and affects one percent of benign brain tumours. There can be tumours arising out of epithelial cells, such as epidermoid and dermoid tumours. These can exert a significant mass effect on the brain.

Treatment of benign brain tumours involves surgery and it is usually surgery alone that is necessary. The protocols for treatment depend on how sick the patient is, how old the patient is and where in the brain the tumour is located. Radiation therapy can safely get rid of any cells that are not gotten rid of with surgery alone. Many benign tumours are encapsulated, making them easy to remove in their entirety.

LAWYER HELPLINE: ☎ 1800 339 958