Brain & Spinal Cord Cancers Facts
A diagnosis of brain cancer or spinal cord cancer can be very frightening. Whether you are a patient learning about this diagnosis or know someone with this diagnosis, this may be a difficult time for you. With the information below, we hope to provide you with answers to many of your questions.
What are brain and spinal cord cancers?
Brain and spinal cord cancers are a disorganized collection of cells inside the skull or the spinal column that grow out of control and invade surrounding tissue. Together, the brain and spinal cord form the central nervous system. Brain and spinal cord cancers can occur in the central nervous system as primary cancers, or they can “travel” from other parts of the body, like the breast, and form deposits in the brain or spinal cord in what is called a secondary cancer. Many brain cancers are the result of metastasis (spread) of cancer from other places in the body to the brain.