Library · Neoplasm
Brain tumor
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A brain tumor is a growth of abnormal cells inside the tissues of the brain. It can be benign, with no cancer cells, or malignant, with cancer cells that grow fast. And it can be primary, if it starts in the brain itself, or metastatic, if it started somewhere else in the body and reached the brain.
What makes this part of the body special is the container. The skull is rigid and does not stretch, and three things sit inside it: brain tissue, cerebrospinal fluid, which is the fluid that surrounds and cushions the brain, and blood. If the volume of any one of them goes up, intracranial pressure rises, that is, the pressure inside the skull. It is a closed box: whatever grows inside has nowhere to go, so it pushes.
And there is one fact that surprises people. The most common tumor inside the skull does not start there: it is a metastasis, meaning a tumor that traveled from another organ. The ones that travel to the brain most often are lung cancer, breast cancer and melanoma.
In brief
A brain tumor is a growth of abnormal cells in brain tissue; it can be benign or malignant, primary or metastatic.
The skull is rigid and does not expand: it holds brain tissue, cerebrospinal fluid and blood, and if the volume of one goes up, intracranial pressure goes up.
It is a closed box: whatever grows inside has nowhere to go, so it pushes.
The most common intracranial tumor does not start in the brain: it is a metastasis, most often from lung cancer, breast cancer and melanoma.
Sources (3)
- MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of MedicineBrain Tumors, MedlinePlusPublished
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingIncreased Intracranial Pressure, StatPearlsPublished
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingBrain Metastasis, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated