Types of brain tumors

Understanding your brain tumor type is a crucial part of your diagnosis and care plan. Factors like the location of the tumor, size, and whether the tumor is benign or malignant all impact how the brain tumor is treated. Penn Medicine treats all types of brain tumors, regardless of the stage of the tumor.

Brain tumors generally fall into three main categories, although there are others as well:

• Extra-axial tumors: These tumors develop on the skull base and press on the brain. They can usually be cured by surgery alone or a combination of surgery and radiation therapy. The most common of these is a meningioma.
• Gliomas: These tumors develop from within the brain and are formed from its connective tissue. They’re also best treated with surgery and either radiation or chemotherapy. Glioblastoma is the most common type of glioma.
• Metastatic tumors: The source of this type of tumor can be cancer of the lung (non-small cell lung carcinoma or small cell carcinoma), breast, colon, skin (melanoma), kidney (renal cell carcinoma), and other types of cancers. Treatment of these tumors may involve surgery, stereotactic radiotherapy, or medications such as chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or immunotherapy.

Your care team at Penn Medicine can help quickly and accurately identify what kind of tumor you’re facing so we can start treatment as soon as possible and with the highest level of confidence.

Noncancerous brain tumors

While benign brain tumors aren’t generally life-threatening, they can cause significant physical and psychological symptoms that can impact your health and quality of life, depending on their size and location. In general, benign tumors are more common than cancerous ones.

At Penn Medicine, we treat various types of benign tumors, including:

• Pituitary tumors
• Meningiomas
• Epidermoid (cholesteatomas)
• Acoustic neuromas
• Nasopharyngeal angiofibroma
• Choroid plexus tumor
• Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor
• Neurofibroma
• Hemangioblastoma
• Chondromas
• Giant cell tumor
• Osteoma

Cancerous brain tumors

Malignant (cancerous) brain tumors can be primary (arising from the brain itself) or can be metastatic (entering the brain after forming elsewhere in the body). The most common types of malignant brain tumors include:

• Brain metastases from lung cancer, breast cancer, or melanoma
• Gliomas
• Astrocytomas
• Oligodendrogliomas
• Glioblastomas
• Primary central nervous system lymphoma
• Chordoma
• Chondrosarcoma
• Olfactory neuroblastoma

Some tumors vary in grade between malignant and benign. Your care team can help identify what grade your tumor is and provide expert, supportive treatment based on your diagnosis.

Treating different types of brain tumors

Both benign and malignant tumors are often treated with surgery to remove the tumor, while malignant types often need radiation and chemotherapy to remove the remaining cancer cells. Treatment for brain tumors depends on their size, location, grade, and your overall health.

No matter what type of brain tumor you’re facing, the Penn Brain Tumor Center is ready to provide expert, compassionate care. We are one of the leading providers of brain tumor treatment in the nation. Our experienced doctors treat all types of common and complex tumors using the most advanced and minimally invasive methods.

A brain tumor diagnosis can leave you with many questions, which is why Penn Medicine provides expert and trusted second opinions to patients all over the country. If you need a second opinion, you’ll receive an expedited appointment at a convenient time and location for you. We’re committed to giving you confidence in your brain tumor treatment so you can feel ready to move forward with the optimal care plan.