Brain tumours: Teenagers and young adults

Brain tumours: Teenagers and young adults

• The brain and brain tumours
• Symptoms and causes of brain tumours
• Having tests for brain tumours
• Treating brain tumours

The brain and brain tumours

This section is for teenagers and young adults. It’s about the brain and different types of brain tumour.

Any illness to do with your brain can be scary. Understanding a bit more about how the brain works might help.

The brain

The brain and the spinal cord make up the central nervous system (CNS). The brain is the ‘control centre’ which coordinates most body functions. It is inside the skull, which protects it. The spinal cord is made up of nerves that run down the spine. It passes messages between the brain and the rest of the body.

The brain and the spinal cord are covered by 3 thin layers of tissue called the meninges. Between 2 of these layers is a fluid called cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The meninges and CSF help to protect the brain and spinal cord.

The main parts of the brain are the:

• cerebrum
• cerebellum
• brain stem
• pituitary gland

Cerebrum

This is at the top of the head and is the largest part of the brain. It’s made up of 2 halves called hemispheres. It controls thinking, learning, memory, problem solving, emotions, and touch. It also makes us aware of our body position.

Cerebellum

This is at the back of the head, near the middle. It controls movement, balance and coordination.

Brain stem

This connects the brain to the spinal cord. It’s in the lower part of the brain, just above the back of the neck. It controls breathing, body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, eye movements and swallowing.

Pituitary gland

This is in the middle of the brain. It makes hormones that control things such as growth, metabolism, periods, and sperm production.

Types of brain tumour

There are different types of brain tumour. They are usually named after the type of cells they develop from. Brain tumours can be either benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). This information is about both types.

Benign brain tumours often press on the brain but don’t usually spread into surrounding tissue. They are also less likely to spread around the brain and spinal cord. If they can be removed with an operation they may not cause any more problems. Sometimes it’s difficult to remove a benign tumour because of where it is in the brain. In this case, you might need treatment with chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Some benign tumours can cause long-lasting changes. This can be because they increase the pressure inside the brain, or because they press on important areas of the brain.

Malignant brain tumours can spread from where they started into surrounding brain tissue, causing pressure and problems in those parts of the brain. They can also spread through the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) into other parts of the brain or the spinal cord.

This information is about tumours that start in the brain, which are called primary brain tumours. Sometimes cancers that start in other parts of the body can spread to the brain. These are known as secondary brain tumours.

The types of brain tumour most likely to affect teenagers and young adults are:

• pituitary tumours
• gliomas
• medulloblastomas
• germ cell tumours

Gliomas

These start in cells called glial cells. There are different types of glioma, but the ones that affect younger people are usually astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas and ependymomas. These types of tumour can develop in the brain or in the spinal cord.

Astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas

These are the most common type of glioma.

Astrocytomas develop from a star-shaped cell called an astrocyte. Oligodendrogliomas look like a fried egg. Sometimes tumours are a mix of both cells. These are called oligoastrocytomas. Doctors group them by how quickly they grow (known as the grade of the tumour). They can tell the grade from how the cells look under a microscope.

Ependymomas

These are a rarer type of glioma. They develop from the spinal cord, and from cells that line the fluid-filled spaces (ventricles) in the brain. These tumours can spread to other parts of the brain and spine through the CSF.

Pituitary tumours

These are usually benign tumours that grow in the pituitary gland. They are mostly grouped into pituitary adenomas and craniopharyngiomas.

Some cause too many or too few hormones to be produced in the body. They very rarely spread.

Medulloblastomas

These usually start in the cerebellum, at the back of the brain. Sometimes they can spread through the CSF, or very rarely to other parts of the body. They start from cells that haven’t properly developed yet, and are sometimes called primitive neuroectodermal tumours (PNET).

Germ cell tumours of the brain

This type of tumour is rare. They develop from very early cells called germ cells, which have the potential to grow into any type of tissue.

Although germ cell tumours often develop in the ovaries in girls or the testicles in boys, they can also start in other parts of the body, including the brain. They may be non-cancerous or cancerous. They are called by different names depending on what the cells look like under a microscope.

We also have more information about:

• symptoms of brain tumours
• having tests for brain tumours
• treatment for brain tumours

If you’re looking for information about brain tumours in people of all ages, read our general brain tumours section. We also have information about brain tumours in children.