Primary and secondary brain tumours

Cancer in the brain can start in the brain or spread from another cancer somewhere else in the body. Cancers that start in the brain are called primary brain tumours. Most of the information in this section of the website is about primary brain tumours. Some of it will be useful for both types. For example, the living with a brain tumour section.

Cancers that have spread to the brain from somewhere else are called secondary brain tumours. Cancers of the lung, breast, kidney, stomach, bowel (colon), and melanoma skin cancer can all spread to the brain.

Cancer cells break away from the main tumour and travel through the bloodstream to lodge in the brain and begin to grow into new tumours. There is information about the treatment of secondary brain tumours in this section of the website.

If you are looking for information, it is important to understand which of these types of brain cancer you have. The treatment and outlook may be very different for each.