Brain Tumor Facts

The World Health Organization (WHO) lists 126 central nervous system tumors.
There are over 120 different types of brain tumors, making effective treatment very complicated.
Symptoms of a brain tumor can include headaches (headaches that wake you up in the morning), seizures in a person who does not have a history of seizures, cognitive or personality changes, eye weakness, nausea or vomiting, speech disturbances, or memory loss. While these are the most common symptoms of a brain tumor, they can also indicate other medical problems.
Although the cause of brain tumors are unknown, each year approximately 190,000 people in the United States and 10,000 people in Canada will be diagnosed with a primary or metastatic brain tumor.
In the United States, the overall incidence of all primary brain tumors is more than 14 per 100,000 people.
Brain tumors are the number two cause of death in men age 45 and younger.
Only 31 percent of males and 30 percent of females survive five years following the diagnosis of a primary or malignant brain tumor.
Childhood brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer death in people age 20 and younger.
Brain tumors are the leading cause of SOLID TUMOR death
in children under age 20 now surpassing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and are the third-leading cause of cancer death in young adults ages 20-39.
Although as many as 69 percent of children with brain tumors will survive, they are often left with long-term side effects.
Brain tumor patients, including those with certain "benign" brain tumors, have poorer survival rates than breast cancer patients.
Brain tumors occur in an organ that is enclosed in a bony housing that allows little room for growth of the tumor without compressing and damaging normal brain tissue.
Because brain tumors are located at the control center for thought, emotion and movement, their effects on an individual's physical and cognitive abilities can be devastating.
Many brain tumors extensively invade normally functioning brain, making complete surgical removal impossible.
The major challenge for the future is to develop more effective techniques to treat brain tumors without damaging the brain.
Metastatic brain tumors (cancer that spreads from other parts of the body to the brain) occur at some point in 10 to 15 percent of persons with cancer and are the most common type of brain tumor.
The incidence of brain tumors has been increasing as cancer patients live longer.
At present, brain tumors are treated by surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, used either individually or in combination.
Enhancing the quality of life of people with brain tumors requires access to quality specialty care, clinical trials, follow-up care and rehabilitative services.
Improving the outlook for adults and children with brain tumors requires research into the causes of and better treatments of brain
tumors.
Complete and accurate data on all primary brain tumors are needed to provide the foundation for research leading to improved diagnosis and treatment and to investigations of its causes.
The National Cancer Institute and the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke are working together to implement the brain tumor research priorities set by the research, clinical and advocacy community, as summarized in the Brain Tumor Progress Review Group Report.

Sources: The National Brain Tumor Foundation, American Brain Tumor Association and the Florida Brain Tumor Association.