At Stanford Health Care, we’re leaders in treating all types of cancerous and noncancerous brain and spine tumors, including complex ones that other centers consider untreatable. People from around the world come to us for our multispecialty team, advanced treatment options, and compassionate care.
What are brain tumors?
Brain tumors are masses of abnormal cells in or near the brain that multiply in an uncontrolled way. Tumors can start in the brain or from cancerous cells elsewhere in the body that spread (metastasize) to the brain. Spine tumors can also start inside or outside the spine and spinal cord.
The brain and spinal cord make up the central nervous system, which controls speech, hearing, vision, movement, thoughts, and many other functions. Therefore, a tumor in the brain or spinal cord can impact your ability to do everyday activities.
If I have a brain tumor, does that mean I have brain cancer?
Not necessarily. Brain tumors can be malignant (cancerous) or benign (noncancerous). However, even noncancerous tumors can be life-threatening or cause symptoms that affect your quality of life.
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Understanding Brain Tumors
Symptoms of Brain Tumors
It’s easy to mistake brain tumor symptoms for those of other conditions. Although each type of tumor can cause different symptoms, common brain tumor signs and symptoms include:
- Behavior or personality changes
- Difficulties with balance, hearing, speech, and vision
- Headaches that become more frequent or severe
- Increased confusion and inability to follow simple commands
- Loss of feeling or movement in an arm or leg
- Nausea or vomiting
- Seizures
Types of Brain Tumors
Brain tumors can begin in the brain (primary brain tumor) or spread to the brain from elsewhere (secondary brain tumor). The type of tumor you have depends on its location and type of cells.
Primary Tumors of the brain and skull base include:
- Acoustic neuroma (vestibular schwannoma), a noncancerous tumor that can affect hearing, balance, or facial muscles
- Glioma, a typically cancerous tumor that starts in the brain’s glial cells
- Glioblastoma, an aggressive, cancerous brain or spine tumor
- Meningioma, a slow-growing tumor that develops in the brain or spinal cord covering (meninges) and is usually noncancerous
- Pituitary tumor (adenoma), a noncancerous and slow-growing tumor that develops in the pituitary gland
Rare primary tumors include:
- Chordoma, a cancerous tumor that grows in bones at the base of the skull or anywhere along the spine
- Gangliocytoma, a noncancerous brain or spinal tumor made up of nerve cells
- Hemangioblastoma, a noncancerous tumor in blood vessels of the brain and spinal cord
- Medulloblastoma, also called PNET (primitive neuroectodermal tumor), a cancerous brain tumor that starts in the lower back part of the brain (cerebellum)
- Neurocytoma, a tumor in the brain’s fluid-filled spaces that’s typically noncancerous
Secondary brain tumors (also called metastatic brain tumors) are cancerous cells that start growing elsewhere in your body and spread (metastasize) to the brain. Common sources of metastatic brain tumors are cancers of the breast, colon, kidney, lung, or skin (melanoma).
Spine tumors are cancerous or noncancerous growths beginning in or around the spinal cord, the spine, or nerve roots (where nerves attach to the spinal cord). Types of spine tumors include:
- Cancers of the blood, including leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma
- Glioma
- Glioblastoma
- Meningioma
- Schwannoma, a noncancerous tumor in the tissue that covers spinal nerves
- Rare tumors, including chordoma, gangliocytoma, and hemangioblastoma
Brain Tumor Risk Factors
In most cases, we don’t know what causes brain and spine tumors. However, some factors may increase your risk, including:
- Exposure to ionizing radiation, including X-rays, for previous head or brain treatment
- Family history of brain tumors or genetic conditions that increase brain tumor risk
At Stanford, we tailor the diagnostic phase of brain tumor care to each person. If we need further testing to confirm a diagnosis, your doctor and care team will work with you to determine which tests you need. Tests may include:
If you have had screening elsewhere and received abnormal results, we may perform additional imaging, if needed. Brain scans provide detailed images that give us the most precise understanding of the tumor.
Genetic testing is a medical test that identifies changes in genes, chromosomes, or proteins. For brain tumors, genetic testing can show whether you have inherited mutations in genes related to the disease.
Before and during treatment, your doctor will ask you to have your blood drawn and tested at a lab. Blood tests can provide information that helps confirm a diagnosis and plan a course of brain tumor treatment.
Leaders in Skull Base Surgery
Skull base surgery is a highly-specialized field that addresses tumors and other abnormalities on the underside of the brain or base of the skull. Our program is ranked among the top in the world.
Brain Tumors
Our neurology and cancer specialists are global experts in treating all types of spine and brain tumors using advanced diagnostic and treatment options.
types of brain tumors
glioblastoma
meningioma
brain cancer
glioma
metastatic brain tumor
pituitary tumor
spine tumor
brain tumor treatment