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 substances that attack cancer cells without harming normal cells. Many people get a combination of treatments.

NIH: National Cancer Institute

Start Here

Adult Central Nervous System Tumors Treatment (PDQ®)-Patient Version (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors in Adults (American Cancer Society)
Brain and Spinal Tumors (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary Also in Spanish
Brain and Spinal Tumors: Hope through Research (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Understanding Brain Tumors (National Brain Tumor Society)
What You Need to Know about Brain Tumors (National Cancer Institute)

Symptoms

Brain Tumor Symptoms (American Brain Tumor Association)
Spotlight on Brain Tumors: Do You Know the Symptoms? Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

Brain Tumor Diagnosis (American Brain Tumor Association)
Computed Tomography (CT) -- Head (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) -- Head (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Magnetic Resonance, Functional (fMRI) -- Brain (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - PDF Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

Brain Tumor Risk Factors (American Brain Tumor Association)

Treatments and Therapies

Alternative and Integrative Medicine (American Brain Tumor Association)
Brain Tumor Surgery (American Brain Tumor Association)
Chemotherapy (American Brain Tumor Association)
Continuum of Care (American Brain Tumor Association)
Drugs Approved for Brain Tumors (National Cancer Institute)
Proton Therapy (American Brain Tumor Association)
Radiation Therapy (American Brain Tumor Association)
Stereotactic Radiosurgery (American Brain Tumor Association)
Steroids (American Brain Tumor Association) - PDF

Living With

Living with a Brain Tumor (American Brain Tumor Association) - PDF
Rehabilitation Options (American Brain Tumor Association)

Related Issues

Electromagnetic Fields and Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
Radiation Injury to the Brain (International Radiosurgery Support Association)
Side Effects and Their Management (American Brain Tumor Association)

Specifics

Astrocytoma (American Brain Tumor Association)
Craniopharyngioma (American Brain Tumor Association)
Ependymoma (American Brain Tumor Association)
Glioblastoma (American Brain Tumor Association)
Glioma (American Brain Tumor Association)
Medulloblastoma (American Brain Tumor Association)
Meningioma (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Metastatic Brain Tumor (American Brain Tumor Association) - PDF
Oligoastrocytoma (American Brain Tumor Association)
Oligodendroglioma (American Brain Tumor Association)
Tumor Types: Understanding Brain Tumors (National Brain Tumor Society)

Genetics

Genetics Home Reference: encephalocraniocutaneous lipomatosis (National Library of Medicine)

Images

Craniotomy - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Videos and Tutorials

Awake Craniotomy (BroadcastMed) - Methodist University Hospital Memphis, TN, 4/21/2009
Brain components (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Transnasal Endoscopic Surgery for Skull-Based Tumors (BroadcastMed) - Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Norfolk, VA, 5/08/2008

Statistics and Research

Brain Tumor Statistics (American Brain Tumor Association)
Cancer of the Brain and Other Nervous System (National Cancer Institute)
Cell Phones and Cancer Risk (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

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

Anatomy of the Brain (American Brain Tumor Association)
Dictionary of Cancer Terms (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

American Brain Tumor Association
American Cancer Society
Find a Cancer Doctor (American Society of Clinical Oncology)
National Cancer Institute Also in Spanish
NCI Designated Cancer Centers (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
Organizations That Offer 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
Understanding Chemotherapy (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
What to Know about External Beam Radiation Therapy (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish