Brain tumor

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A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of cells within the brain or inside the skull, which can be cancerous or non-cancerous (benign).

It is defined as any intracranial tumor created by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division, normally either in the brain itself (neurons, glial cells (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, ependymal cells), lymphatic tissue, blood vessels), in the cranial nerves (myelin-producing Schwann cells), in the brain envelopes (meninges), skull, pituitary and pineal gland, or spread from cancers primarily located in other organs (metastatic tumors).

Primary (true) brain tumors are commonly located in the posterior cranial fossa in children and in the anterior two-thirds of the cerebral hemispheres in adults, although they can affect any part of the brain.

In the United States in the year 2005, it was estimated there were 43,800 new cases of brain tumors (Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States, Primary Brain Tumors in the United States, Statistical Report, 2005–2006), which accounted for 1.4 percent of all cancers, 2.4 percent of all cancer deaths, and 20–25 percent of pediatric cancers. Ultimately, it is estimated there are 13,000 deaths per year in the United States alone as a result of brain tumors.

For more information about Brain tumor, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


News tagged with brain tumors

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Stem cells alleviate tumor treatment side effects

Stem cells alleviate tumor treatment side effects

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Nov 17, 2009 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Human embryonic stem cells could help people with learning and memory deficits after radiation treatment for brain tumors, suggests a new UC Irvine study.


A woman dials a cell phone in her car

WHO study suggests link between cell phones and tumors

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Oct 27, 2009 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (23) | comments 17

(PhysOrg.com) -- Preliminary results of an International investigation by the World Health Organization (WHO) suggest there may be a "significantly increased risk" of some types of brain tumors after use of ...


Funeral industry workers exposed to formaldehyde face higher risk of leukemia

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Nov 20, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

Long durations of exposure to formaldehyde used for embalming in the funeral industry were associated with an increased risk of death from myeloid leukemia, according to a new study published online November 20 in the Journal of ...


Bias affects cell phone cancer risk findings

Bias affects cell phone cancer risk findings

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Oct 15, 2009 | popularity 3.5 / 5 (10) | comments 5

(PhysOrg.com) -- A group of South Korean and American researchers has found studies of possible links between cell phones and brain tumors and other cancers vary in quality, and those suggesting there is little ...


Study identifies new way to biopsy brain tumors in real time

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Nov 11, 2009 | popularity 1 / 5 (1) | comments 0

A new miniature, hand-held microscope may allow more precise removal of brain tumors and an easier recognition of tumor locations during surgery.


Variations in 5 genes raise risk for most common brain tumors

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created Jul 05, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

Common genetic variations spread across five genes raise a person's risk of developing the most frequent type of brain tumor, an international research team reports online in Nature Genetics.


St. Jude and UF Proton Therapy Institute to begin proton therapy clinical trial

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Nov 09, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute have formed a collaboration to provide proton therapy for St. Jude patients. The announcement follows the approval of the first ...


Anticancer compound found in American mayapple

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Sep 04, 2009 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (5) | comments 0

A common weed called American mayapple may soon offer an alternative to an Asian cousin that's been harvested almost to extinction because of its anti-cancer properties. The near-extinct Asian plant, Podophyllyum emodi, produc ...


Nanoparticles cross blood-brain barrier to enable 'brain tumor painting'

Nanoparticles cross blood-brain barrier to enable 'brain tumor painting'

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

created Aug 03, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (9) | comments 0

Brain cancer is among the deadliest of cancers. It's also one of the hardest to treat. Imaging results are often imprecise because brain cancers are extremely invasive. Surgeons must saw through the skull ...


Tokyo hospital to test viral therapy for tumors

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Aug 16, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Tokyo University Hospital will begin a clinical test in late August of a viral therapy in which viruses are injected directly into brain tumor patients, according to hospital officials.


Breakthrough in 3-D Brain Mapping Enables Removal of Fist-Sized Tumor

Breakthrough in 3-D Brain Mapping Enables Removal of Fist-Sized Tumor

Medicine & Health / Research

created Jul 14, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new technology involving the fusion of four different types of images into a 3-D map of a patient's brain has helped University of Cincinnati (UC) specialists successfully remove a fist-sized ...


Decoding leukemia patient genome leads scientists to mutations in other patients

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Aug 05, 2009 | popularity 3 / 5 (1) | comments 1

Decoding the complete DNA of cancer patients is giving scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis a clearer picture of the complexity of the disease and allowing them to see intriguing and unexpected ...


Study: 7 key genes predict brain cancer survival

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Jul 14, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

(AP) -- Scientists have found seven key genes in the type of brain tumor affecting Sen. Edward Kennedy that together can predict how aggressive a patient's cancer will be.


Less brain swelling occurs with multiple sessions of SRS for common brain tumor

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Nov 04, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Treating a common brain tumor with multiple sessions of radiation appears to result in less brain swelling than treating the tumor once with a high dose of radiation, say researchers from the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer ...


Marijuana helps in battle against cancer: study

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Apr 02, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (11) | comments 4

The main chemical in marijuana appears to aid in the destruction of brain cancer cells, offering hope for future anti-cancer therapies, researchers in Spain wrote in a study released Thursday.