Brain Tumors

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Summary

A brain tumor is a growth of abnormal cells in the tissues of the brain. Brain tumors can be benign, with no cancer cells, or malignant, with cancer cells that grow quickly. Some are primary brain tumors, which start in the brain. Others are metastatic, and they start somewhere else in the body and move to the brain.

Brain tumors can cause many symptoms. Some of the most common are:

Headaches, often in the morning
Nausea and vomiting
Changes in your ability to talk, hear, or see
Problems with balance or walking
Problems with thinking or memory
Feeling weak or sleepy
Changes in your mood or behavior
Seizures

Doctors diagnose brain tumors by doing a neurologic exam and tests including an MRI, CT scan, and biopsy. Treatment options include watchful waiting, surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy. Targeted therapy uses drugs or other substances that attack cancer cells with less harm to normal cells. Many people get a combination of treatments.

NIH: National Cancer Institute

Start Here

Adult Central Nervous System Tumors Treatment (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Also in Spanish
Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors in Adults (American Cancer Society)
Brain Tumors Signs & Symptoms (National Brain Tumor Society)

Symptoms

Signs and Symptoms (of a Brain Tumor) (American Brain Tumor Association)
Spotlight on Brain Tumors: Do You Know the Symptoms? (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

Brain MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Can Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors in Adults Be Found Early? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Analysis (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Functional MRI (fMRI) (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Head CT (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Newly Diagnosed (Brain Tumor) (American Brain Tumor Association)

Prevention and Risk Factors

Risk Factors for Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

Assisted Care Options (American Brain Tumor Association)
Drugs Approved for Brain Tumors (National Cancer Institute)
End of Life Care (Brain Tumors) (American Brain Tumor Association)
Steroids (American Brain Tumor Association) - PDF

Living With

Brain Tumor Support Groups (American Brain Tumor Association)

Related Issues

Electromagnetic Fields and Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
Recurrence (of Brain Tumors) (American Brain Tumor Association)

Specifics

Brain Tumor Types (National Brain Tumor Society)
Brain Tumors Types (American Brain Tumor Association) - PDF
Meningioma (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Genetics

Constitutional mismatch repair deficiency syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Encephalocraniocutaneous lipomatosis: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Images

Craniotomy - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Videos and Tutorials

Brain components (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

Advances in Brain and Spinal Cord Tumor Research (National Cancer Institute)
Cancer of the Brain and Other Nervous System (National Cancer Institute)
Cell Phones and Cancer Risk (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
Liquid Biopsy Detects Brain Cancer and Early-Stage Kidney Cancer (National Cancer Institute)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Brain Neoplasms (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Glioma (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Meningioma (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Reference Desk

Dictionary of Cancer Terms (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

American Cancer Society
Choosing a Cancer Doctor (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
National Cancer Institute Also in Spanish
NCI - Designated Cancer Centers (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
Neuro-Oncology Branch (National Cancer Institute; National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Organizations that Offer Cancer Support Services (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Children

Childhood Brain Tumors: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

Brain surgery (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Brain surgery - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Brain tumor - primary -- adults (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Metastatic brain tumor (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish