Brain Cancer, Infornation of Brain Cancer

Some types of brain tumors do not begin in glial cells. The most common of these are:

·         Medulloblastoma—This tumor usually arises in the cerebellum. It is the most common brain tumor in children. It is sometimes called a primitive neuroectodermal tumor.

·         Meningioma—This tumor arises in the meninges. It usually grows slowly.

·         Schwannoma—A tumor that arises from a Schwann cell. These cells line the nerve that controls balance and hearing. This nerve is in the inner ear. The tumor is also called an acoustic neuroma. It occurs most often in adults.

·         Craniopharyngioma—The tumor grows at the base of the brain, near the pituitary gland. This type of tumor most often occurs in children.

·         Germ cell tumor of the brain—The tumor arises from a germ cell. Most germ cell tumors that arise in the brain occur in people younger than 30. The most common type of germ cell tumor of the brain is a germinoma.

·         Pineal region tumor—This rare brain tumor arises in or near the pineal gland. The pineal gl

·         —The tumor arises from star-shaped glial cells called astrocytes. In adults, astrocytomas most often arise in the cerebrum. In children, they occur in the brain stem, the cerebrum, and the cerebellum. A grade III astrocytoma is sometimes called an anaplastic astrocytoma. A grade IV astrocytoma is usually called a glioblastoma multiforme.and is located between the cerebrum and the cerebellum.

Secondary Brain Tumors

When cancer spreads from its original place to another part of the body, the new tumor has the same kind of abnormal cells and the same name as the primary tumor. Cancer that spreads to the brain from another part of the body is different from a primary brain tumor. When cancer cells spread to the brain from another organ (such as the lung or breast), doctors may call the tumor in the brain a secondary tumor or metastatic tumor. Secondary tumors in the brain are far more common than primary brain tumors.