Are all brain tumors cancerous, and does that change the approach?

No, not all brain tumors are cancerous. Many brain tumors (for example, meningiomas) are benign, meaning they do not spread to other parts of the body. But even benign brain tumors can cause symptoms (headaches, seizures, memory or vision changes, etc.) by compressing brain structures, so they shouldn’t be ignore. The good news is that benign tumors are often curable with surgery alone. Malignant (cancerous) brain tumors may require a combination of treatments – surgery to remove as much tumor as safely possible, followed by chemotherapy or radiation. The surgical approach is determined by the tumor’s location, type, and size. Your neurosurgeon will tailor the treatment to whether the tumor is benign or malignant, always aiming to maximize tumor removal while preserving your quality of life.