Understanding Benign Brain Or Nervous System Tumor: Causes, Symptoms, and Management

What is it?

A benign, non-cancerous, brain tumor is a tumor that develops slowly and, in most cases, will not spread to other areas of your brain and body.
The nervous system is a general term for all the "wires" that connect your brain to the rest of your body. A benign tumor can grow in the nervous system as well.
Brain tumors are classified from 1 to 4, according to their growth rate. Benign tumors are graded 1 or 2. Although benign, in rare cases these tumors can become malignant, therefore they need to be closely monitored, and in most cases, removed.
There are different types of benign brain and nervous system tumors, that are classified according to the type of cell they originate from:
-Meningiomas- arises from the meninges, the layers that surround and protect your brain. These are the most common type of tumors.
-Gliomas- arises from the glial cells, the cells that supports the nerve fibers.
-And many more.

145 Alikes with Benign Brain Or Nervous System Tumor

Learn from others
who are experiencing
Benign Brain Or Nervous System Tumor.

Join Now

Additional names

This group contains additional names:
- Meningioma
- Benign Neoplasm of Brain
- Benign Neoplasm of Spinal Cord
- Benign Neoplasm of Cerebral Meninges
- Benign Neoplasm of Cranial Nerve

Signs & symptoms

The symptoms vary according to the size and location of the tumor.
Common symptoms include new onset of worsening headache, seizures, behavioral changes and inability to move your arm or leg.

Diagnosis

The doctor will question you regarding relevant symptoms and any history of malignancy. Next, he or she will complete a full physical exam.
Brain CT or MRI- the imaging test will help discover the tumor, its exact location and measure its size.
Biopsy- a small part of your tumor will be taken out and examined under the microscope.
Lumbar puncture- a syringe will be inserted into your spinal cord and a small amount of spinal cord fluid will be drawn, to check for the presence of malignant cells.

Treatment

Surgery is the preferred treatment for most benign brain tumors. Usually the tumor will not come back after it has been removed.
Radiotherapy or chemotherapy will be needed if the tumor cannot be fully removed in a surgery.

☝️ This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult with your physician before making any medical decision.

Learn more about our editorial process for content accuracy.

Source of Information - We analyze big data of more than 23 million patients de-identified medical records from the following sources:

National Institution of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ University of Illinois hospital