a primary brain tumor is one that originates in the brain. it is not the same as cancer that develops elsewhere in the body and then spreads to the brain. those are called metastatic tumors and their treatment and prognosis depend on the type of cancer it is. not all primary brain tumors are cancer. approximately 19 000 of the 35 000 new cases each year are brain cancer. the rest are benign tumors meaning they are not aggressive and do not normally spread to surrounding tissue. but even a benign brain tumor can be a serious life-threatening health problem.
what is a primary brain tumor?