Brain & Spinal Cord Cancers: Symptoms
The symptoms of both primary and metastatic brain tumors depend mainly on the location in the brain and the size of the tumor. Since each area of the brain is responsible for specific functions, symptoms vary considerably. For example:

• Frontal lobe tumors may cause weakness, paralysis, mood disturbances, difficulty thinking, confusion and disorientation, and wide emotional mood swings.
• Parietal lobe tumors may cause seizures, numbness or paralysis, difficulty with handwriting, inability to perform simple mathematical problems, difficulty with certain movements, and loss of the sense of touch.
• Occipital lobe tumors can cause loss of vision in half of each visual field, visual hallucinations, and seizures.
• Temporal lobe tumors can cause seizures, perceptual and spatial disturbances, and a loss of ability to speak or understand speech.
• Cerebellum tumors may cause balance problems, loss of coordination, headaches, and vomiting.
• Hypothalamustumors may cause emotional changes, and changes in the perception of hot and cold.

With the exception of the cerebellum, a tumor on one side of the brain causes symptoms and impairment on the opposite side of the body. For example, a tumor on the left side of the brain may cause numbness in the right arm.

Spinal cord cancer is more rare than brain cancer. Pain in the back is a common symptom. Loss of feeling or movement in the legs and arms and muscle weakness may follow.