Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related death in children under the age of 20 and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in young adults. Despite advances in treatment, brain tumors remain largely incurable with a five-year survival rate of only 33 percent for all brain tumor patients.
Primary brain tumors originate from cells within the brain and account for about one third of all brain cancers. The most common primary brain tumors are gliomas, which originate from glial cells. Gliomas include astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas, ependymomas, and mixed gliomas. Astrocytomas are the most common type of primary brain tumor, accounting for approximately 50 percent of all cases. Oligodendrogliomas arise from oligodendrocytes and make up about 10 to 15 percent of all primary brain tumors. Ependymomas arise from ependymal cells lining the ventricles or central canal of the spinal cord and account for 3 to 5 percent of all primary brain tumors. Mixed gliomas contain elements of two or more different types of glial cells and account for 2 to 3 percent of all primary brain tumors.
The most common symptom of a primary brain tumor is headache, which is usually caused by increased pressure within the skull due to a mass effect from the tumor itself or cerebral edema (swelling). Other symptoms may include seizures, nausea and vomiting, visual changes such as double vision or blurring, personality changes, memory loss, and weakness or paralysis on one side of the body. These symptoms can be caused by other conditions besidesbrain tumors so it is important that they be evaluated by a physician if they persist or worsen over time.
Imaging studies such as computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are used to diagnoseprimary brain tumors. A biopsy is often required to confirm the diagnosis and determinethe typeof tumor present so that appropriate treatment can be planned. Treatment optionsforprimarybrain tumors depend on many factors including: histologic subtype; grade(how aggressivethecancerous cells appear under a microscope); size; location; patient’s ageand overall health status; presenceor absenceof metastases(secondarytumorsin other parts oft he body);and desirefor pregnancy following treatment(if applicable). Surgeryis typically recommendedfor most patients with newly diagnosedprimarybrain tumors in order totryto removeallofthecancerous tissue while minimizing damage tonormal surrounding tissue . In some caseswhere complete surgical resectionis not possibleor desiredbythepatient , radiation therapyand/ortargetedchemotherapymay be used instead . Clinical trials testing novel approaches totreatmentare also availableat many institutions .