Brain Tumor Facts

Brain Tumor Facts

* A brain tumor is a cluster of abnormal cells growing in the brain.
* There are more than 120 different types of brain tumors; some are malignant (cancer), many are benign (non-cancerous).
* An estimated 52, 200 new cases of primary brain tumors are expected to be diagnosed in 2008.
* Primary brain tumors are those that begin in the brain and tend to stay in the brain. Metastatic brain tumors begin as a cancer elsewhere in the body and migrate, or metastasize, to the brain.
* Brain tumorbrain tumor facts prevalence refers to the total number of people who have a brain tumor. It is estimated that 359,000 people in the United States are living with the diagnosis of a primary brain tumor.
* Brain tumors are difficult to diagnose; their symptoms often mimic other diseases.
* Brain tumors are the leading cause of solid tumor cancer death in children under the age of 20.
* Benign or malignant, primary or metastatic, brain tumors are treatable.
* Standard treatments include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.
* The cause of brain tumors is unknown.
* More knowledge about brain tumors has been gained in the last ten years than in the past hundred years.