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Brain Tumor Facts

New brain tumor therapies are critical because:

Brain tumors are the second leading cause of cancer death among children and young adults.1

In 2011, an estimated 64,530 new cases of primary brain tumors are expected to be diagnosed and includes both malignant (24,070) and non-malignant (40,470) brain tumors.1

In the past thirty years, ONLY three brain cancer treatments have been approved by the FDA.

There are more than 120 different types of brain tumors, making effective treatment extremely complicated.

Brain tumors cannot be prevented because their causes are currently unknown.

1- Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States (CBTRUS) www.cbtrus.org

Primary brain tumors can be benign or malignant:

Benign
brain tumors do not contain cancer cells:

• Usually, benign tumors can be removed, and they seldom grow back.

• Benign brain tumors usually have an obvious border or edge. Cells from benign tumors rarely invade tissues around them. They don't spread to other parts of the body. However, benign tumors can press on sensitive areas of the brain and cause serious health problems.

• Unlike benign tumors in most other parts of the body, benign brain tumors are sometimes life threatening.

• Benign brain tumors may become malignant.

Malignant
brain tumors (also called brain cancer) contain cancer cells:

• Malignant brain tumors are generally more serious and often are a threat to life.

• They are likely to grow rapidly and crowd or invade the nearby healthy brain tissue.

• Cancer cells may break away from malignant brain tumors and spread to other parts of the brain or to the spinal cord. They rarely spread to other parts of the body.

Tumor Grade

Doctors group brain tumors by grade. The grade of a tumor refers to the way the cells look under a microscope:

Grade I Grade II Grade III Grade IV
The tissue is benign. The cells look nearly like normal brain cells, and they grow slowly. The tissue is malignant. The cells look less like normal cells than do the cells in a Grade I tumor. The malignant tissue has cells that look very different from normal cells. The abnormal cells are actively growing (anaplastic). The malignant tissue has cells that look most abnormal and tend to grow quickly.


Cells from low-grade tumors (grades I and II) look more normal and generally grow more slowly than cells from high-grade tumors (grades III and IV). Over time, a low-grade tumor may become a high-grade tumor. However, the change to a high-grade tumor happens more often among adults than children.

Types of Primary Brain Tumors

There are many types of primary brain tumors. Primary brain tumors are named according to the type of cells or the part of the brain in which they begin. For example, most primary brain tumors begin in glial cells. This type of tumor is called a glioma.

 

Among adults, the most common types are:

Astrocytoma Meningioma Oligodendroglioma
The tumor arises from star-shaped glial cells called astrocytes. It can be any grade. In adults, an astrocytoma most often arises in the cerebrum.
• Grade I or II astrocytoma: It may be called a low-grade glioma.
• Grade III astrocytoma: It's sometimes called a high-grade or an anaplastic astrocytoma.
• Grade IV astrocytoma: It may be called a glioblastoma or malignant astrocytic glioma.		 The tumor arises in the meninges. It can be grade I, II, or III. It's usually benign (grade I) and grows slowly. The tumor arises from cells that make the fatty substance that covers and protects nerves. It usually occurs in the cerebrum. It's most common in middle-aged adults. It can be grade II or III.

 

Among children, the most common types are:

Medulloblastoma Ependymoma Brain stem glioma
The tumor usually arises in the cerebellum. It's sometimes called a primitive neuroectodermal tumor. It is grade IV.
• Grade I or II astrocytoma: In children, this lowgrade tumor occurs anywhere in the brain. The most common astrocytoma among children is juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma. It's grade I.		 The tumor arises from cells that line the ventricles or the central canal of the spinal cord. It's most commonly found in children and young adults. It can be grade I, II, or III. The tumor occurs in the lowest part of the brain. It can be a low-grade or high-grade tumor. The most common type is diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma.

 

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