Brain Tumor Center

Patient and Family Education

Adult Brain Tumor

What is an Adult Brain Tumor?

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The brain controls memory and learning, senses (hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch), and emotion. It also controls other parts of the body, including muscles, organs, and blood vessels.

Adult brain tumor is a disease in which cancerous (malignant) cells begin to grow in the tissues of the brain. This overview covers tumors that start in the brain (primary brain tumors). Often cancer found in the brain has started somewhere else in the body and has spread (metastasized) to the brain. This is called brain metastasis.

A person with the following symptoms should see a doctor: frequent headaches, vomiting, or difficulty walking or speaking. After confirming the symptoms, the doctor might order a computed tomographic (CT) scan, a special x-ray that uses a computer to make a picture of the brain, and/or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, which uses magnetic waves to make a picture of the brain. Often, surgery is required to determine if there is a brain tumor and to see what type of tumor it is.

The chance of recovery (prognosis) and choice of treatment depend on the type of brain tumor and the patient's general state of health.

This page was last updated on: September 22, 2009.