​Brain Tumor Info

1. There are over 120 different types of brain tumors, making treatment more difficult. It is crucial to understand that no two tumors are alike.
2. There is no known cure for brain tumors.
3. Each year approximately 200,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with a primary or metastatic brain tumor.
4. Traditional treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, can leave the patient with permanent side effects.
5. Brain tumors are located at the control center for thought, emotion and movement.
6. Symptoms of a brain tumor can include headaches, seizures, cognitive or personality changes, eye weakness, nausea or vomiting, vision disturbances, speech disturbances, or memory loss.
7. Brain tumors are often life-threatening. Glioblastoma Multiformes (GBMs) are the most aggressive form of primary brain tumors, accounting for 50% of all primary brain tumors diagnosed.
8. Brain tumors have no socio-economic boundaries and do not discriminate among gender or ethnicity.
9. Brain tumors are graded on a scale of 1 – 4. A “1” is the least malignant, and a “4” is the most malignant.
10. Even a “1” type of tumor, although considered technically benign, can be life-threatening due to location and size.
11. A glioblastoma (GBM), the most malignant type of brain tumor, represents over half of all diagnosed brain tumors.
12. Astrocytomas, Oligodendrogliomas, ependymomas and all other gliomas can be graded between 1 and 4.

Resources

• Saint Luke's Marion Block Neuroscience Institute, Kansas City, MO
• KU Cancer Center, Kansas City, KS
• ​Head for the Cure
• American Brain Tumor Association
• T.H.E. Brain Trust
• The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, Duke University
• The National Institute of Cancer
• The Children's Brain Tumor Foundation
• National Brain Tumor Society
• North American Brain Tumor Coalition
• Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation
• Tug McGraw Foundation
• The Ivy Brain Tumor Center

*Only a biopsy can determine what grade a tumor is.

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