--- title: "Brain tumour: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment | HealthAnswers" description: "Brain tumours — primary and secondary cancers, red flag symptoms, diagnosis with MRI, and NHS treatment including surgery and radiotherapy." url: https://healthanswers.co.uk/conditions/brain-tumour/ robots: noindex --- # Brain tumour: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment | HealthAnswers Health A–Z Brain tumours — primary and secondary cancers, red flag symptoms, diagnosis with MRI, and NHS treatment including surgery and radiotherapy. Written by HealthAnswers editorial team Medically reviewed by [HealthAnswers UK doctor review panel](https://healthanswers.co.uk/our-doctors/) Reviewed 3 July 2026 ## Quick answer What is brain tumour? A brain tumour is a growth of cells in the brain — primary (starts in brain) or secondary (spread from cancer elsewhere). Symptoms depend on location — persistent headache worse in morning, seizures new in adulthood, personality change, weakness on one side, vision or speech problems, or balance difficulties. Most headaches are not brain tumours — but new neurological symptoms need urgent GP assessment and MRI. Treatment may include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or steroids to reduce swelling. See a GP urgently for new seizures, progressive neurological symptoms, or persistent morning headache with vomiting. ## Who is this page for? This page is for people in the UK who want a plain-English overview of Brain tumour, including when to seek help and what NHS care usually involves. It explains general information, not what is wrong with you personally. ## Who should skip this page? Skip this page if you need a diagnosis, a prescription, or emergency care. It cannot replace a GP, pharmacist, NHS 111 or 999. If you are in immediate danger, call 999; for urgent advice that is not life-threatening, call 111 in England, Scotland or Wales, or use your GP out-of-hours service in Northern Ireland. On this page 6 sections ## Key facts about brain tumour - About 12,000 brain and central nervous system tumours diagnosed in the UK each year — many are benign (meningioma). - Glioblastoma is the commonest aggressive primary brain cancer in adults — difficult to cure. - Secondary brain metastases from lung, breast, melanoma, and kidney cancer are commoner than primary tumours in adults. - New seizure in adult without previous epilepsy — investigate with MRI — may be first sign of tumour. - Benign tumours (meningioma, acoustic neuroma) can still cause serious symptoms from pressure — often treatable with surgery or watch-and-wait. ## Brain tumour — primary and secondary **Brain tumours** include **primary CNS tumours** (start in brain/spine) and **secondary metastases** (spread from other cancers). **~12,000 CNS tumours/year UK** — **benign often outnumber malignant in incidence** ## Symptom patterns by location | Location | Symptoms | | --- | --- | | Frontal lobe | Personality change, apathy, weakness | | Temporal | Seizures, memory, speech | | Parietal | Sensory loss, neglect | | Occipital | Visual field loss | | Cerebellum | Ataxia, coordination, nausea | | Brainstem | Cranial nerves, balance, swallow | | Pituitary | Visual field defect, endocrine | **Raised intracranial pressure:** - Headache worse supine - Morning vomiting - Papilloedema on fundoscopy ## Red flags vs common headache **Brain tumour headache myth:** - Most headaches are tension or migraine - But progressive pattern + neuro signs = scan **Urgent MRI triggers (NICE):** - New adult seizure - Focal neurology - Progressive cognitive change - Suspicious headache pattern + abnormal examination ## Common tumour types **Benign/slow:** - Meningioma — dural based - Acoustic neuroma (vestibular schwannoma) - Pituitary adenoma **Malignant primary:** - Glioblastoma (GBM) - Anaplastic astrocytoma - Primary CNS lymphoma — immunocompromised **Metastases:** - Lung, breast, melanoma, renal — often multiple ## Treatment pathway **Multidisciplinary tumour board** **Surgery:** - Awake craniotomy — eloquent areas - Debulking vs biopsy-only if deep/inoperable **Radiotherapy:** - External beam , stereotactic radiosurgery (Gamma Knife) **Systemic:** - Temozolomide — glioma - Treat primary cancer — metastases **Dexamethasone** — **symptom relief** — **not long-term without plan** **Anticonvulsants** if **seizures** ## Living with brain tumour **Driving** — **notify DVLA** — **seizure and tumour rules** **Cognitive rehab** **Brain Tumour Charity support** **Advance care planning** — **realistic goals** **New seizure age 45** — **MRI before assuming stress** — **treatable cause may exist**. ## ! When to see a GP about brain tumour See a GP urgently within 2 weeks for new persistent headache with vomiting worse in morning, new seizure in adulthood, progressive weakness or numbness on one side, personality or behaviour change, new vision loss or double vision, speech difficulty, or balance problems not explained by inner ear conditions. Same-day if sudden severe headache (thunderclap), first seizure, or rapid deterioration — A&E. NICE 2-week wait if suspected brain tumour on examination or history. ## Common questions about brain tumour What are the symptoms of a brain tumour? Depends on location and size — headache (often worse lying down, morning vomiting), seizures, focal weakness, speech or vision change, personality change, memory problems, balance and coordination difficulty, hearing loss one side (acoustic neuroma), endocrine symptoms (pituitary tumours). Symptoms usually progressive over weeks to months — not sudden unless bleed into tumour. Are all brain tumours cancer? No — meningiomas, pituitary adenomas, acoustic neuromas often benign (grade I) — grow slowly, may not need immediate treatment. Gliomas grade II–IV are malignant — glioblastoma (grade IV) most aggressive. Metastases are always malignant — spread from elsewhere. How is a brain tumour diagnosed? MRI brain with contrast — gold standard. CT if MRI unavailable urgently. Biopsy at surgery or stereotactic biopsy for tissue diagnosis and grading. Lumbar puncture rarely — only if suspected CNS lymphoma or infection with specialist guidance. No screening test for general population. How are brain tumours treated? Surgery — maximal safe resection where possible. Radiotherapy — whole brain for multiple metastases, focused (SRS) for single metastasis, standard for glioma. Chemotherapy — temozolomide with radiotherapy for glioblastoma. Steroids (dexamethasone) reduce oedema and symptoms short term. Immunotherapy for some metastases (melanoma). What is the outlook for brain tumours? Varies enormously — benign meningioma — cure with surgery. Low-grade glioma — years to decades. Glioblastoma — median survival ~12–18 months with standard treatment — improving with trials. Brain metastases — treatable, sometimes long survival with targeted systemic therapy depending on primary cancer. ## Sources - [NHS — Brain tumours](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/brain-tumours/) - [The Brain Tumour Charity](https://www.thebraintumourcharity.org/) - [NICE — Improving outcomes for people with brain and other CNS tumours](https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg81)