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Cancer types

Brain Tumours - what are they?

There are 2 different categories of brain tumours - primary brain tumours and secondary brain tumours.

Primary brain tumours

These can be benign or malignant brain tumours:

  • Benign brain tumours are non-cancerous tumours. This means that they do not spread to other parts of the brain or other tissues. Depending on the location and type of tumour, it may be removed through surgery and/or radiotherapy
  • Malignant brain tumours are cancerous and have the ability to spread to other parts of the brain. Treatment may include surgery, radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy

Secondary Brain tumours

Secondary brain tumours occur when cancer cells from other parts of the body, spread to the brain. This can happen with breast, lung or other different types of cancer. 

If you have already been diagnosed with a type of cancer, and then have a brain tumour, it is more likely that is has spread (metastasised) from another part of the body.

Your doctor will be able to tell you if yours is a primary or secondary tumour.

 

 

 

Last updated 19 July 2010
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