Currently, there are an estimated 700,000 people in the United States living with a brain tumor. Brain tumors can significantly impact the life of the patient. 80% of brain tumors are benign and 20% are malignant. Meningiomas and gliomas are the two most prevalent brain tumor types in adults. Brain tumors originate in the brain, rather than spreading from another location. Symptoms can include headaches, seizures, personality changes, eye weakness, nausea or vomiting, difficulty speaking or comprehending, and short-term memory loss. Brain tumors have no known cause and are linked to no known risk factors, aside from radiation exposure and family history, which have been shown to raise the risk of brain tumors. They can affect people of all ages, races, genders and ethnicities.
Brain tumors in children are different than those in adults. Survival rates tend to be higher for younger patients, with a 5-year survival rate of 66% for children ages 0 to 19 years. Brain and CNS tumors are the most prevalent form of pediatric cancer in kids under 19 years of age. Pediatric brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related death among children and adolescents, surpassing leukemia.
