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Brain tumour
Brain tumours may start in the brain (primary tumours) or they may start elsewhere in the body and be carried to the brain in the blood (secondary tumours). Secondary brain tumours are more common, only about 10% of brain tumours actually start in the brain.
Primary brain tumours may arise from several different kinds of tissue. The actual brain nerve cells themselves rarely form tumours.
The main kinds of tumours in the brain are:
- Meningioma (benign tumours of the membranes that form the brain coverings)
- Glioma (tumours of the glial tissue – the tissue that binds the nerve cells and fibres together)
- Haemangioma (tumours of the brain’s blood vessels). These can cause seizures and partial paralysis.
- Pituitary adenoma (tumours of the pituitary glands). These can sometimes cause Cushing’s syndrome and other complications.
Some brain tumours are benign. Benign tumours are those that never seed off to other parts of the body and always remain at the site of origin. In this situation, however, ‘benign’ may be a misleading term. Because the brain is enclosed in a rigid bone casing, anything growing inside is very likely to do harm by pressing on brain structures. However, if diagnosed early enough, benign tumours are often easier to remove.
