Facts About Brain Cancer  

• A brain tumor is a cluster of abnormal cells growing in the brain.
• There are more than 120 different types of brain tumors; some are malignant (cancer), many are benign (non-cancerous).
• An estimated 61,000 new cases of primary brain tumors are expected to be diagnosed in 2009. 
• Primary brain tumors are those that begin in the brain and tend to stay in the brain. Metastatic brain tumors begin as a cancer elsewhere in the body and migrate, or metastasize, to the brain.
• Brain tumor prevalence refers to the total number of people who have a brain tumor. It is estimated that 360,000 people in the United States are living with the diagnosis of a primary brain tumor.
• Brain tumors are difficult to diagnose; their symptoms often mimic other diseases.
• Brain tumors are the leading cause of solid tumor cancer death in children under the age of 20.
• Benign or malignant, primary or metastatic, brain tumors are treatable.
• Standard treatments include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.
• The cause of brain tumors is unknown.
• More knowledge about brain tumors has been gained in the last ten years than in the past hundred years.

- abta.org/News_Room/Brain_Tumor_Facts 

How Gliomas Are Evaluated and Graded

Identifying a brain tumor usually involves a neurological examination, brain scans, and/or an analysis of the brain tissue. Doctors use the diagnostic information to classify the tumor from the least aggressive (benign) to the most aggressive (malignant). In most cases, a brain tumor is named for the cell type of origin or its location in the brain. Identifying the type of tumor helps doctors determine the most appropriate course of treatment.

Tumors arising from glial cells, or glia, are called gliomas. There are many types of gliomas, including astrocytomas. When a brain tumor is detected, treatment decisions will be based on a variety of factors, including the risk posed by the tumor’s aggressiveness. 

Primary brain tumors – those that originate in a patient’s brain – are categorized according to a standardized four-level scale developed by the World Health Organization. Grade I represents the least aggressive and Grade IV the most aggressive tumors. 

Grade I tumors consist of slow-growing cells similar to normal cells in appearance. If treated at this stage, the outlook for long-term survival is usually good. Grade I tumors are rare in adults. 

Cells of Grade II tumors grow relatively slowly but show signs of change. Typically considered “pre-cancerous,” cells may begin to invade neighboring normal tissue, and if surgically removed, may return as a higher grade tumor. 

Grade III tumors have actively reproducing cells lacking the structure and function of normal cells. They readily infiltrate adjacent normal tissue; it is not uncommon for recurrence at a higher grade after surgical treatment. 

Grade IV tumors consist of rapidly reproducing abnormal cells and are able to form new blood vessels to sustain cells’ aggressive growth.

      - braintumor.org 

Patrick Peterson was diagnosed with a malignant Grade IV brain tumor. It is a primary tumor and is centralized in the brain only.   

For more information about Patrick and brain cancer, log onto:  

• Abta.org
• Braintumor.org
• Cancer.net
• CancerCenter.com
• Pipecircus.com/patrickjpeterson.html