Brain tumors come in all shapes and sizes. Some grow rapidly and cause immediate, noticeable symptoms, while others may lie dormant for a long time before the sufferer ever knows anything is wrong.

Malignant brain tumors, those that contain cancerous cells tend to grow more rapidly than those that are benign (non cancerous) They are usually quite aggressive and crowd out healthy brain tissue quickly. The symptoms manifested by a patient with a malignant brain tumor may progress rapidly but they vary from headaches, often appearing suddenly and causing extreme pain that does not dissipate to changes in speech and vision that can be quite disturbing to both the patient and those around them.

Although they are not cancerous benign brain tumors can cause similar symptoms, and occasionally even develop over time into a malignancy. These tumors develop less quickly and may be present for years without causing problems that lead a person to seek medical advice.

This is not to say that benign brain tumors should be considered harmless. Even if they do not become malignant (and most do not) they still threaten a number of bodily functions including motor and basic sensory functions like sight.

The treatment for a benign brain tumor is usually surgery to remove it. This is typically more easily achieved than in patients with malignancies. Benign tumors do not grow outside of the brain tissue like malignant ones often do and their diameters are usually clearly visible on MRI or Cat scans, making the surgeon’s job far easier. With modern microsurgery techniques the procedure can be performed quickly and accurately. No chemotherapy is necessary after surgery as no carcinogenic material was ever present.

For those with a malignant brain tumor the stakes are far higher. Often these tumors spread quickly to other areas of body and quickly become too large for simple surgical removal. Much of the time radiation therapy is required to try to shrink the tumor before surgery is attempted.

Receiving a brain tumor diagnosis , whether it is malignant or benign can be devastating. Most people immediately envision that they may be approaching the end of their life, or at least that the quality of their life will be irreparably changed. This need not be the case though, as modern medicine has developed a number of new treatments and medication therapies that have greatly improved the chance that patients can recover fully after being diagnosed.