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Brain tumors can be primary or metastatic, with various forms differentiated by cell type and location. Prognosis and treatment depend on the type and stage of the tumor. Gliomas are a common family of brain tumors, with other types including gangliocytomas, Schwannomas, meningiomas, adenomas, germinomas, lymphomas, and primitive neuroectodermal tumors.
There are several types of brain tumors, which can be divided in various ways based on type and location. All brain tumors fall into one of two categories: they are either primary or “true” brain tumors that originate in the brain, or metastic tumors, tumors that originate elsewhere and end up in the brain. Among primary brain tumors, there are several forms, usually differentiated by the types of cells involved and the region of the brain where the tumor first forms.
The prognosis for brain tumors varies widely, depending on the type of tumor and the location and stage in which the tumor has reached. In some cases, brain tumors can be treated with the use of surgery and chemotherapy, and in other cases they can be inoperable and ultimately fatal. Typically, treatment of brain tumors involves an oncologist and a neurologist, with cancer and brain specialists working together to determine the best treatment plan.
One of the most common families of brain tumors are gliomas. Gliomas involve so-called “glial cells” such as astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and ependymal cells, all of which contribute to the structural support of the brain. Some examples of gliomas include: dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors, ganglioglioma, astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma, glioblastoma, oligoastrocytoma, glioblastoma multiforme, anaplastic astrocytoma, pilocytic astrocytoma, and ependymoma.
Other brain tumors named for specific types of cells in the brain include gangliocytomas, which attack the ganglia, Schwannoma, which occurs in the Schwann cells that help control the sense of hearing and balance, and meningioma, which occurs in the brain meninges. It is also possible to get the adenoma, a cancer of the glands, in the brain, in the example of the tumor of the pineal region. Adenomas at the base of the brain near the pituitary gland are known as craniopharyngiomas.
Brain cancer can also take the form of a germinoma, a cancer that originates in germ cells. While germinomas are most common in the reproductive tract, they can sometimes occur in places like the brain, forming tumors like teratomas. Lymphoma can also take the form of a primary brain tumor, in which case it is known as primary brain lymphoma, and brain tumors can also belong to a family of cancers known as primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) such as retinoblastoma, neuroblastoma, and medulloblastoma.
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