Brain tumours are rare cancers. Less than 8 people in every 100 000, in the UK, are diagnosed each year with a brain tumour. Although children can develop brain tumours, they are rare in younger people. In common with many other cancers, the risk of developing a brain tumour increases with age.
Symptoms of a brain tumour depend on the area of the brain that is affected. The most common symptoms of a brain tumour include
- Headaches - but these are a very common problem. Less than 1 in every 100 people who develop regular headaches have a brain tumour.
- Fits or seizures - there are many causes for fits: most people who develop fits don't have a brain tumour
- Weakness or loss of feeling in part of the body
- Changes in vision or hearing
- Difficulties with speech
- Changes in personality or behaviour
- Changes in memory or ability to think
About half of people who develop brain tumours have swelling at the back of their eyes (caused by pressure in the brain from the tumour). This is called papilloedema. A doctor can see this by examining the back of the eye with a special eye torch - an ophthalmoscope.
Many symptoms that can be caused by a brain tumour can also be due to other, more common, problems. So your doctor will look at all the possible explanations for your symptoms before deciding on the most likely cause. The Department of Health have produced guidelines to help family doctors (GPs) decide when symptoms are most likely to be due to a brain tumour. If someone has a suspected brain tumour their GP will arrange an urgent appointment for them with a specialist in diseases of the brain (a neurologist) within 2 weeks.