Table: Some Tumors That Originate in or Near the Brain* - Merck Manuals Consumer Version

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Some Tumors That Originate in or Near the Brain*

Some Tumors That Originate in or Near the Brain*

Type of Tumor	Origin	Cancer Status	Percentage of All Primary Brain Tumors†	People Affected
Astrocytoma (a type of glioma)	Cells of the tissue that supports nerve cells (glial cells)	Cancerous but how it behaves varies	(†See note.)	Children and adults
Chordoma	Cells of the embryo (embryonic cells) that help form spinal cord and brain stem (which connects the largest part of the brain to the spinal cord)	Cancerous and invasive but spreads slowly	Less than 1%	Children and adults May be present at birth
Craniopharyngioma	Embryonic cells from the pituitary gland	Noncancerous but slowly invasive	Less than 1%	Children and adults May be present at birth
Dermoid cysts and epidermoid tumors	Embryonic cells of the skin	Noncancerous	Less than 1%	Children and adults Dermoid cysts: May be present at birth
Ependymoma	Cells of the tissue that lines the spaces within the brain (ventricles)	Noncancerous or cancerous	About 2–3% (almost 10% of brain tumors in children)‡	Children Uncommon in adults
Germ cell tumors (including germinomas)	Embryonic cells near the pineal gland	Noncancerous or cancerous	1%	Children Germinomas: May be present at birth
Glioblastoma (a type of glioma)	Immature glial cells (called progenitor cells)	Cancerous	About 15%, increasing with age†	Adults
Hemangioblastoma	Embryonic cells that develop into blood vessels	Noncancerous	1‒2%	Children and adults
Medulloblastoma	Embryonic cells of the cerebellum	Cancerous	Almost 20% of childhood brain tumors†	Children and, rarely, adults
Meningioma	Cells of the layers of tissue covering the brain (meninges)	Mostly noncancerous but may recur Recurrences sometimes cancerous	About 35%	Adults
Oligodendroglioma (a type of glioma)	Cells (called oligodendrocytes) that wrap around nerve fibers in the brain, forming the myelin sheath, and the cells from which they originate	Cancerous but slow-growing (ultimately often becoming anaplastic oligodendroglioma)	2–10%†	Children and adults
Pineal gland tumors	Cells of the pineal gland or nearby tissues	Mostly noncancerous but sometimes cancerous	Less than 1%	Children
Pituitary adenoma	Cells of the pituitary gland	Noncancerous	10%	Children and adults
Primitive neuroectodermal tumor	Immature cells lining the spaces within the brain (ventricles)	Usually noncancerous but sometimes becomes cancerous	Less than 1%	Children and young adults
Neurocytoma	Immature cells lining the spaces within the brain	Noncancerous	Less than 1%	Children and young adults
* See also Some Specific Brain Tumors.
† The percentage of all primary brain tumors is given unless noted otherwise.
‡ Astrocytomas, ependymomas, glioblastoma multiforme, medulloblastomas, and oligodendrogliomas are gliomas, which account for 65% of all primary brain tumors.