Brain Tumors
Educational information. Individual clinical review of this presentation by Dr. Ehsan is not yet documented. It does not replace personal medical evaluation.
Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. Read the original source
MedlinePlus data edition September 26, 2026. Imported September 27, 2026. These dates do not indicate a new clinical review of the article.
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 drugs or other substances that attack cancer cells with less harm to normal cells. Many people get a combination of treatments.
NIH: National Cancer Institute
Symptoms, tests and care options
Further reading selected by MedlinePlus. Links open the original organizations’ websites.
- Adult Brain Tumor Early Detection, Diagnosis, and Testing · American Cancer Society
- Assisted Care Options · American Brain Tumor Association
- Brain CT Scan · Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Brain MRI (Head MRI) · Radiological Society of North America
- Brain Tumors Signs & Symptoms · National Brain Tumor Society
- Drugs Approved for Brain Tumors · National Cancer Institute
- End of Life Care (Brain Tumors) · American Brain Tumor Association
- Signs and Symptoms (of a Brain Tumor) · American Brain Tumor Association
- Spotlight on Brain Tumors: Do You Know the Symptoms? · National Institutes of Health
Questions for your care team
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- Which tests are useful, and what can they tell us?
- What care options, benefits, and risks should we discuss?
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- When is follow-up, and how will we know whether the plan is working?
For a life-threatening emergency, call 911 in the U.S. or your local emergency number.
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