General description and types of brain tumors in adults

General Description

Brain tumors are masses of abnormal cells that have grown out of control. American Cancer Society estimates that 22,070 malignant tumors of the brain or spinal cord (12,010 in men and 10,060 in women) will be diagnosed during 2009 in United States. This would account for about 1.5% of all cancers. There are a variety of risk factors that may contribute chance of getting brain tumors:

• Being male

  Generally tumors are more common in males than females.

• Race

  Brain tumors occur more often among white people than among people of other races.

• Age

  Generally the risk of brain tumor increases as you age. Majority of brain tumors occur in people 45 and older. Although children can also have brain tumors.

• Ionizing radiation

  People exposed to this type of radiation have an increased risk. Examples include radiation therapy, as well as exposure caused by atomic bombs.

• Exposure to chemicals and radiation at work

  Workers at risk include pathologists and embalmers who work with formaldehyde, works who make plastics (vinyl chloride), and people who make textiles and plastics (acrylonitrile).

Types of brain tumors in adults:

There are different grades of tumors:

• Grade 1: The tissue is benign. The cells look nearly like normal brain cells, and they grow slowly.

• Grade II: The tissue is malignant. The cells look less like normal cells than do the cells in a Grade I tumor.

• Grade III: The malignant tissue has cells that look very different from normal cells. The abnormal cells are actively growing.

• Grade IV: The malignant tissue has cells that look most abnormal and tend to grow quickly.

Common types of brain tumors include:

• Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM)

  This is the type of brain tumor Ted Kennedy had. It is This is the most malignant astrocytoma (grade IV) tumor in adults.

• Mengioma

  Tumor that arises in the meninges.

• Oligodendroglioma

  It arises from cells that make the fatty substance that covers and protects the nerves (oligodendrocytes).

• Medulloblastoma

  It usually arises in the cerebellum.

• Ependymoma

  The tumor arises from cells that line the ventricles or central canal of the spinal cord.

• Brain stem glioma

  The tumor occurs in the lowest part of the brain.

• Acoustic neurinoma

  This is a benign tumor that occurs in the 8th cranial nerve (a.k.a acoustic nerve) between the pons and cerebellum.

• Metatastic tumor

  Tumor formed by cancer cells that spread (metastasize) to the brain from elsewhere in the body.

Resources:

Brain Tumor Foundation
National Brain Tumor Society
American Cancer Society
National Cancer Institute
Mayo Clinic
Medicine Net

Books:

100 Q&A About Brain Tumors (100 Questions & Answers)