in the Center for Neuro-Oncology at

Dana-Farber Brigham/Women's Cancer Center

A brain tumor is a tumor that either arises in the brain

or it can be a tumor that spreads from a different part of your body

such as a brain metastasis from breast cancer.

Overall, malignant brain tumors are rare

there's less than a one percent chance that an average adult will

develop a malignant brain tumor in their lifetime.

It's comprised of abnormal cells that shouldn't be

in the brain, and they form a mass.

Brain tumors can range from benign, or non-cancerous tumors,

to malignant, or cancerous, tumors.

Brain tumors are typically found on imaging studies.

Some more aggressive tumors can have a lot of

swelling associated with them.

Other kinds of tumors may be slower growing or maybe not as obvious.

Sometimes we need to follow those patients overtime

to really distinguish a brain tumor from some other

abnormality that can appear in the brain.

The signs and symptoms attributed to the brain tumor

can depend on the location and the number

of lesions in the brain.

For example, if you have a brain tumor in the speech

area of your brain, you might present with difficulty

speaking or understanding language.

Sometimes patients can present in a non-specific way,

meaning they develop symptoms that can be seen

even in normal people.

For example, you can have a headache that doesn't

seem to go away, that wakes you up in the morning

it can be associated with nausea and vomiting.

You can also have confusion,

or other focal neurologic deficits

It's important to note that because many

of the symptoms of brain tumors are non-specific,

just because you have one of these symptoms

doesn't mean you have a brain tumor.

However, if your symptoms are not resolving

or are not explained by anything else,

it's important to see your doctor for these symptoms.