Brain Tumors

Conditions and Treatments

Early diagnosis can be an important factor in the outcome of tumors in the brain and spinal cord. Brain tumors are the second leading cause of cancer death in children under age 15 and the second fastest growing cause of cancer death among those over age 65. Over the next year, more than 100,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with a brain tumor.  On the other hand, primary spinal cord tumors are so rare that they account for only a half of 1 percent of all newly diagnosed tumors.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated May 8, 2007