Brain Tumors—Patient Version

Brain and spinal cord (also called central nervous system or CNS) tumor may be benign or malignant. For details on various types of central nervous system tumor types and their treatment, please refer to the link on this page. We also have information on brain tumor statistics, research and clinical trials.

A tumor spreading from the primary tumor in the other organs of the body to the brain is called a metastatic brain tumor. They are among the most common intracranial brain tumors encountered by doctors. These tumors are common complications of systemic cancer and are an important cause of morbidity (incidence) and mortality (death). Approximately 200,000 new cases of brain metastasis are diagnosed every year in the United States and this number may increase as the consciousness rises and diagnostic techniques improve. In addition, improved chemotherapy for systemic cancer or malignancy can prolong patient's survival; however, these drugs do not protect the brain from tumor spreading.

There are various kinds of brain tumors. Some brain tumors are noncancerous (benign), and some brain tumors are cancerous (malignant). Brain tumors may arise from your brain (primary brain tumor), or cancer may originate from other parts of your body and spread to your brain (secondary or metastatic, brain tumors). Acoustic schwannoma (neurinoma) is a benign tumor that develops in the equatorial and auditory nerves from the inner ear to the brain. These nerves intertwine to form the vestibular cochlear nerve (the eighth cranial nerve). Stress from the tumor to the nerve may cause deafness and imbalance

The etiology of primary brain tumor is unknown. Environmental and genetic factors can cause brain tumors. It seems to be the cause of very few patients before being exposed to children's exposure to treatment. Symptoms of brain tumor include headaches, nausea, vomiting, seizures, behavioral changes, memory loss, and visual or hearing impairment. A variety of treatments are used to treat brain tumors. The type of treatment recommended depends on the size and type of the tumor, its growth rate, the position of the brain, and the overall health condition of the patient. Treatment options include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted biologics, or a combination of these. Surgical resection (if safe) is usually the first recommended treatment to rapidly reduce brain pressure. This site is focused on radiotherapy of brain tumor