What are the different types of brain tumors?
Brain tumors are named for both the type of cells they contain and their location in the brain. Primary brain tumors are tumors that originate in the brain. Secondary brain tumors are cancers that have spread to the brain from another part of the body. About 40 percent of all primary brain tumors are benign. The most common kind of primary brain tumors in children derive from glial (supportive) tissue.
Primary brain tumors are classified by the type of brain cell that makes up the tumor. The most common primary brain tumors are called gliomas. These begin in the glial, or supportive, tissue of the brain. There are many types of gliomas. There are other types of brain tumors that do not start in the glial tissue. Secondary brain tumors are also known as metastatic brain tumors. These are cancer cells that started growing in another organ, such as the lung, breast, skin, or kidney, then spread to the brain.
