Brain tumor types

Doctors use a lot of words for brain tumors. Here is what the common ones mean, in plain words. Pick a type to read more.

Your care team knows your case and this page does not. Use it to help you ask them better questions.

Not been given a name yet? If you have been told there is something on your scan and nothing else so far, start with what happens between the scan and the name.

Gliomas

Tumors that start in the glial cells, the cells that support nerve cells.

• Glioma

  Glioma is a family of brain tumors, not one diagnosis. What the family tree looks like. Which page is yours, and what the words on your report mean.

• Low-grade glioma

  What people mean by low-grade glioma, and why it is not one diagnosis. Why grade 1 and grade 2 are not the same thing at all. Watch and wait, and what changes over time. And the questions worth asking about your own result.

• High-grade glioma

  High-grade glioma means grade 3 or grade 4. It is a group, not a diagnosis, and two tumors in it can be very different. What the grade tells you, and why a scan can look worse while treatment is working.

• Glioblastoma

  One growth story explains the necrosis, the ring on the scan, and the swelling. And it explains why the tumor keeps coming back. Plus why a tumor that did not look grade 4 is still called this. And what happened to secondary glioblastoma.

• Astrocytoma

  Three different groups of tumors share the name astrocytoma. Which one of the three is yours. What the gene results on your report mean. And both directions of the glioblastoma rename.

• Oligodendroglioma

  Both halves of the name are gene results. The same chromosome loss that names this tumor is the reason one chemotherapy works better on it. And that is why the test is worth waiting for.

• Diffuse midline glioma

  A fast-growing glioma in the middle of the brain or in the spinal cord. It is named after a change written H3 K27. What the name means, and why it is always grade 4. How DIPG fits in, and what treatment is for.

• DIPG (pontine)

  A diffuse midline glioma in the pons, a part of the brain stem. It is most often found in children. How it is found, and why surgery cannot remove it. What radiation does. And what to ask about dordaviprone for a tumor in the pons.

• Ependymoma

  A tumor that starts in the lining of the fluid spaces of the brain and spine. Where it grows, and what the grade and the gene result mean. Why surgery matters so much. And why the scans go on for years.

Other tumors that start in the brain

These start in the brain or in the tissue around it.

• Meningioma

  A meningioma starts on the covering of the brain rather than inside it. And there is often a visible gap on the scan that shows the difference. What the grade means, and why location matters more than size. What the words on your report mean. And the hormone medicines worth asking about.

• Medulloblastoma

  A fast-growing tumor that starts at the back of the brain. It is most often found in children. What grade 4 does and does not mean here. Why the whole spine is checked, and what craniospinal radiation is. And what posterior fossa syndrome is.

• Pituitary tumor

  A growth in the small gland under the brain that controls hormones. Why sight and hormones are the two things to watch. What the names on your report mean. And the two emergencies this page carries rules for.

• Acoustic neuroma

  A slow-growing growth on the nerve between the inner ear and the brain. Why it has two names. Why your hearing counts in the decision alongside the size. What the three choices are, and the one sign that should be looked at fast.

• CNS lymphoma

  A cancer of white blood cells that starts in the brain, the spinal cord, or the eyes. Why an operation to remove it is not the treatment. Why a steroid can take the answer away before anyone has it. And what the medicine that reaches the brain is actually like.

• Craniopharyngioma

  A growth that sits next to the pituitary gland, the nerves for sight, and the space the brain's fluid drains through. Why sight, hormones and fluid are the three things a team watches. What the two type names on your report mean. And the warning signs this page carries rules for.

• CNS germ cell tumor

  A rare tumor that grows deep in the middle of the brain. It is found mostly in older children, teens and young adults. What the two main kinds are. Why blood and spinal fluid tests matter so much. Which signs mean getting help fast, and the decision to make before treatment starts.

• ATRT

  A rare, fast-growing brain and spine tumor, usually in very young children. Written for a parent. What the name means, and the signs that mean going in now. Why treatment is planned around your child's age. And what the months ahead actually involve.

• Hemangioblastoma

  A slow-growing tumor that is not cancer, full of tiny blood vessels. The tumor is usually found low at the back of the brain or in the spinal cord. What it is, and why a fluid pocket often causes the symptoms. The inherited condition that about 1 in 4 people with one of these have. And how it is treated and watched.

• Chordoma

  A rare, slow-growing bone cancer. It starts in the skull base, the spine, or the tailbone. What the name means, and why the first operation matters more than most. Which signs mean getting help now, and what treatment actually involves.

Tumors that spread to the brain

These start somewhere else in the body and travel to the brain.

• Brain metastases

  A brain metastasis is the cancer you already have, growing in the brain. It keeps the name of where it started, and that name decides the treatment. What the number of spots changes. Which medicines reach the brain. And the question to ask about the covering of the brain.

Tumors of the spinal cord

The spinal cord is not the brain. We list these because the same care teams treat them.

• Spinal cord tumor

  A tumor growing in or pressing on the spinal cord. It is not a brain tumor. Why most of these grow slowly, the small set of signs that mean going in now, what the operation turns on, and what living with it actually takes.

Ways to group tumors

These are not types. They are other ways to sort what you read.

• Pediatric brain tumor

  Written for a parent. What is different when the person with the brain tumor is a child. Why the types are not the same. Why your child may need medicine to sleep for scans and radiation. What follow-up covers for years afterwards, and how school support works. And how to talk to your child and their brothers and sisters.

• All brain tumors

  Also the page for anyone who has been told there is something on their scan and has not been given a name for it yet.

Looking for something else? Try the glossary for single words, or all research updates.