Brain tumour, malignant (cancerous)
Causes
Most malignant brain tumours are caused by a cancer that started somewhere else in the body and spread to the brain, through the bloodstream. These are known as secondary tumours.
Cancers that can spread to the brain include Lung cancer , breast cancer , bowel cancer and melanoma skin cancer .
Some primary malignant brain cancers(cancerous tumours that start in the brain) are caused by a previously benign brain tumour becoming cancerous, but usually the exact reason why a primarytumour develops is unknown.
Who's most at risk?
Some of the things that can increase your risk of brain tumours are outlined below.
Age
Brain tumours affect people of all ages, including children, but the risk tends to increase as you get older. Most tumours affect people over 50 years of age.
Family history
People with a family history of brain tumours may be at a slightly increased risk of developinga brain tumour themselves.
Radiotherapy
If your brain is exposed to radiation during radiotherapy , your risk of developingcertain types ofbrain tumour later on is increased.
Genetic conditions
Some genetic conditions can increase your risk of a brain tumour, such as:
- neurofibromatosis type 1 or neurofibromatosis type 2
- tuberous sclerosis
- Turcot syndrome
- Li-Fraumeni cancer syndrome
- von Hippel-Lindau syndrome
- Gorlin syndrome
Unlike most brain tumours, tumours associated with these conditions tend to developin childhood or early adulthood.
Can mobile phones cause brain tumours?
There have beenreports in the media about a possible connection between brain tumours and the radiofrequency (RF) energy emitted by mobile phones. RF energy produces heat, which can increase body temperature and damage tissue exposed to it.
However, it's thought that the amount of RF energy people are exposed to from mobile phones is too low to produce significant tissue heating or an increase in body temperature.
Research is underway to establish whether RF energy has any long-term health effects, but the balance of evidence currently available suggests that it's unlikelymobile phones cause health problems.
For more information, read about mobile phone safety .
Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 9 Apr 2015
Introduction
A malignant brain tumour is a fast-growing cancer that spreads to other areas of the brain and spine.
Symptoms
The symptoms of a malignant brain tumour depend on how big it is and where it is in the brain.
Causes
Most malignant brain tumours are caused by a cancer that started somewhere else in the body and spread to the brain, through the bloodstream.
Diagnosis
If you develop the symptoms of a brain tumour, such as a persistent and severe headache, see your GP.
Treatment
If you have a malignant brain tumour, you'll usually need surgery to remove as much of it as possible.
Recovery and follow-up after brain tumor
Malignant brain tumours often grow back after treatment, so regular follow-up appointments will be recommended to look for signs that this may have happened.
Patient story: "I've had eight or nine head operations, but it had to be done."
After collapsing at work, Alan Thomas was diagnosed with a brain tumour.He tells his story.
Patient story: "I'm definitely one of the lucky ones."
April Watkins was diagnosed with a brain tumour soon after starting university. She tells her story.
Patient story: "My survival so far should give hope to others."
When David Grant was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour, he was determined to live long enough to see his young daughter grow up. He tells his story.
Patient story: "I hadn’t even suspected that it could have been a brain tumour."
Emily Jones was diagnosed with a brain tumour after experiencing repeated vomiting and dizziness for over a year.
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John Pettyfer was just 51 years old when his life was cut short by an aggressive type of brain tumour called a glioblastoma multiforme. His daughter Clare tells his story.
Patient story: "Doctors told us that they could only delay his death."
Neville Holt passed away at the age of 74 after being diagnosed with an aggressive type of brain tumour called a gliosarcoma. His son Chris tells his story.
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