Cancer can develop within the brain or spinal cord itself (primary tumor) or can travel to the brain or spinal cord from a cancer elsewhere in the body (metastatic or secondary tumors).

There are many different types of primary brain or spinal cord tumors. They may be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). While most cancers are described by stage, brain and spinal cord tumors are described by a grading system established by the World Health Organization. This system classifies tumors from Grade I to Grade IV. Grade I tumors occur almost exclusively in children and are considered benign. Grades II through IV describe tumors with increasingly malignant behavior.

Symptoms from a brain or spinal cord tumor depend on the location of the tumor more than the specific type of tumor. These symptoms can include headaches, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, vision problems, difficulty thinking and speaking clearly, weakness on one side of the body, prolonged drowsiness and seizures. Symptoms from a brain or spinal cord tumor usually progress over weeks to years, unlike stroke symptoms which come on suddenly.

The Baylor Sammons Cancer Center offers treatment for a variety of brain and spinal cord cancers, including gliomas, central nervous system lymphoma, pineal region tumors and meningiomas. Brain tumor patients are cared for in a specialized Neuro-Oncology Clinic and have access to advanced imaging, surgical care, radiation therapy and innovative chemotherapeutic regimens.

Brain and spinal cord patients also have access to the Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas Baylor Radiosurgery Center that offers advanced treatment with the Gamma Knife^® and CyberKnife^® if appropriate.