Brain Tumors

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• Images
• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Patient Handouts

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)

Symptoms

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

Diagnosis and Tests

• Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Analysis (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• 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
• Newly Diagnosed (Brain Tumor) (American Brain Tumor Association)

Treatments and Therapies

• Assisted Care Options (Brain Tumors) (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

• Find a Support Group (Brain Tumor) (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)
• Recurrence of Brain Tumors (American Brain Tumor Association)

Specifics

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

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

• 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)

• Article: Phosphorus-32 interstitial radiotherapy for recurrent craniopharyngioma: Expressions of vascular endothelial...
• Article: Anterior interhemispheric approach for removing large sellar region tumor.
• Article: Predicting epidermal growth factor receptor gene amplification status in glioblastoma...
• Brain Tumors -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Dictionary of Cancer Terms (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Find a Brain Tumor Center (American Brain Tumor Association)

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