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A brain or spinal tumour is formed by the growth of abnormal cells, causing a mass or a lump. Around 413 Queenslanders are diagnosed with malignant brain tumours every year. If you or someone you care about is facing this diagnosis, Cancer Council Queensland can help, so you don’t have to go through cancer alone.
Our team is here to listen and support you.
There are over 40 different types of brain tumours, which doctors classify as either benign or malignant. A malignant brain tumour is cancerous and can spread – either into the surrounding brain tissue or into the spinal cord.
Some commonly diagnosed types of malignant brain tumour are:
Benign brain tumours are tumours that are slow-growing, and unlikely to spread to other parts of the body. Some commonly diagnosed types of benign brain tumours are:
The average age of a brain tumour diagnosis is 59 years old, although people of all ages can be affected.
Exactly what causes most brain tumours is still unknown, but there are a few factors that have been found to increase your risk.
A lot of the symptoms of a brain tumour can overlap with other medical conditions, but it is important to make sure you get them checked out by a doctor, particularly if they get worse or new symptoms appear.
Brain cancer can cause something called intracranial pressure, because the tumour takes up space or blocks the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. Intracranial pressure can cause symptoms like:
Because of the wide range of symptoms a brain tumour can cause, the path to diagnosis can be different for everyone. For some, a trip to the GP to investigate certain worrying symptoms might lead to the diagnosis of brain cancer, while for others, their first sign that something is wrong may be something that sees them end up in the emergency department, such as a loss of consciousness or a seizure. For others still, a brain tumour can be picked up on a scan for something unrelated.
Some of the tests your doctor might run include:
During diagnosis, your medical team will classify your tumour by grade. Low grade tumours tend to be benign and less likely to return after removal, while high grade brain tumours are often malignant, fast-growing and have a higher likelihood of return.
Regardless of how you reach a diagnosis, hearing the words ‘brain tumour’ can be a challenging, overwhelming experience.
The treatment you need depends on the classification and location of your tumour. For many benign tumours, surgery may be all that is required, or doctors may prefer to watch and wait.
When we talk about prognosis, we’re talking about the likely or expected outcome of the disease, although it’s important to remember that not even an expert can predict the exact way a disease will progress.
Both high and low grade brain tumours can be life-threatening, just as they can both impact other bodily functions, but a prognosis might be better for low-grade tumours or tumours where doctors are able to remove the entire growth in surgery.
Even if it’s not possible to operate, there are many non-surgical options doctors can use to slow down a tumour’s growth, like radiation, chemotherapy and drugs that target the cancer and relieve some of the symptoms it causes.
A lot of the symptoms of a brain tumour are similar to those you might experience with other medical conditions, but it is important to make sure you get them checked out by a doctor, particularly if they get worse or new symptoms appear. Intracranial pressure, changes in cognition or speech, changes in balance or intense headaches/dizziness should be checked out immediately.
There are over 40 different types of brain tumours and, depending on the type, classification and position of your brain tumour, it can have a whole range of different impacts on you – from barely noticeable (some tumours are only picked up during routine scans because they cause no symptoms) to incapacitating, where they may cause seizures or loss of consciousness.
While doctors don’t yet know exactly what causes brain cancer, there are some risk factors, such as genetics, environmental exposure to toxins, or radiation.
If you are concerned about any symptoms you’re experiencing, make an appointment with your GP and ask for them to be investigated. If your doctor suspects a brain tumour, they will order tests that can either confirm or rule one out.
