How common is Brain Cancer?

According to a survey by The Cleveland Clinic; Doctors diagnose brain tumors in about 85,000 people in the U.S. every year. Of those tumors, roughly 60,000 are benign, and about 25,000 are malignant. Brain tumors occur more often in men than women. Although they are most common among older adults, they can develop at any age. Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related death in children under age 14.

Brain tumors can be malignant (cancerous) or benign (not cancerous). Some tumors grow quickly; others are slow-growing.

Only about one-third of brain tumors are cancerous. But whether they are cancerous or not, brain tumors can impair brain function if they grow large enough to press on surrounding nerves, blood vessels and tissue.

Tumors that develop in the brain are called primary tumors. Tumors that spread to the brain after forming in a different part of the body are called secondary tumors or metastatic tumors. This article focuses on primary tumors. There are more than 100 types of primary brain and spinal cord tumors.