NeuroHealth Neuro-Oncology Center: Brain & Spinal Cord Cancers
Each year, according to the National Brain Tumor Foundation, approximately 190,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with a primary or metastatic brain tumor.

A tumor is an abnormal mass of tissue in which the cells grow and multiply without restraint, apparently unregulated by the mechanisms that control normal cells. There are two basic kinds of tumors:

• Primary brain tumors originate in the brain and, in most cases, do not travel to other parts of the body.
• Metastatic (secondary) brain tumors have spread to the brain from another part of the body. These are the most common form of brain tumor, affecting 20-40% of all cancer patients.

Since there are over 120 different types of central nervous system tumors, diagnosing and treating brain and spinal cord cancers can be especially complicated.

Types of Adult Tumors
The following descriptions of primary brain tumors are from the National Cancer Institute and are used to group adult tumors:

• Astrocytomas: Start in brain cells called astrocytes. There are different kinds of astrocytomas, which are defined by how the cancer cells look under a microscope.
• Brain Stem Gliomas: Located in the bottom part of the brain that connects to the spinal cord.
• Cerebellar Astrocytomas: Occur in the cerebellum, which is just above the back of the neck; they usually grow slowly and do not usually spread.
• Ependymomas: Begin in the cells that line the passageways in the brain where cerebrospinal fluid is made and stored. There are different kinds of ependymal tumors, which are defined by how the cells look under a microscope.
• Well-Differentiated Ependymomas: Cells look very much like normal cells and grow quite slowly.
• Anaplastic Ependymomas: Do not look like normal cells and grow more quickly than well-differentiated ependymal tumors.
• Ependymoblastomas: Rare cancers that usually occur in children; they may grow very quickly.
• Oligodendrogliomas: Begin in the brain cells called oligodendrocytes, which provide support and nourishment for the cells that transmit nerve impulses. There are different types of oligodendroglial tumors, which are defined by how the cells look under a microscope.

Other Types of Brain Tumors

• Choroid Plexus Tumors: The choroid plexus makes the fluid that fills the ventricles and surrounds the brain and spinal cord. Tumors of the choroid plexus can grow slowly (choroid plexus papilloma) or grow more rapidly (anaplastic choroid plexus papilloma). The rapidly growing tumors are more likely to spread to other places in the brain and to the spinal cord.
• Craniopharyngiomas: Occur near the pituitary gland, a small organ about the size of a pea; this gland is located just above the back of the nose and controls many of the body's functions.
• Germ Cell Tumors: Usually arise from the sex cells, but can arise from the pineal gland. There are different kinds of germ cells, including germinomas, embryonal carcinomas, choriocarcinomas, and teratomas.
• Malignant Meningiomas: A rare tumor that grows more quickly than other meningiomas.
• Medulloblastomas: Begin in the lower part of the brain; they are almost always found in children or young adults. This type of cancer may spread from the brain to the spine.
• Meningiomas: Occur in the membranes (the meninges) that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord. Meningiomas usually grow slowly.
• Mixed Gliomas: Occur in more than one type of brain cell, including cells of astrocytes, ependymal cells, and/or eoligodendrocytes.
• Pineal Parenchymal Tumors: Found in or around the pineal gland located near the center of the brain. The tumors can be slow growing (pineocytomas) or fast growing (pineoblastomas). Astrocytomas may also start here.