What is the difference between primary and metastatic brain tumors?
A tumor that starts growing in the brain is a primary brain tumor. These tumors may spread within the brain, but rarely travel to other sites in the body. Metastatic brain tumors are formed from cancer cells that originate in other parts of the body, and travel to the brain to form tumors. Cancers of the lung, breast, colon and melanoma often spread to the brain.