What factors affect the chances for survival for patients after a malignant brain tumor?
For primary brain tumors, the most important factors that affect survival are the following: grade of tumor (more aggressive tumors have a worse prognosis); location of the tumor (tumors which the surgeon can remove almost completely because of their location are associated with a better prognosis); and age (younger patients tend to do better). For metastatic tumors, the most important prognostic factors are: location of the brain metastasis (completely removable tumors or tumors that can be treated with a Gamma Knife or stereotactic radiosurgery are associated with a better prognosis); and the amount of cancer elsewhere in the body (patients whose cancer elsewhere in the body is well-controlled do better).
