Everything you need to know about brain cancer — from symptoms and grading to treatment options and life after diagnosis — explained clearly by Dr. Aditya Sarin.
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Every case of brain cancer is different. Please consult Dr Aditya Sarin or a qualified oncologist for evaluation, diagnosis and a treatment plan specific to your condition.
100+
Distinct types of brain tumours
1–4
WHO grading system
Most
Common: metastatic, not primary
Early
Detection shapes treatment options
A new seizure or a changed headache pattern deserves prompt imaging. Schedule an evaluation with Dr. Aditya Sarin today.
Section 01
What is Brain Cancer?
Brain cancer refers to abnormal cell growth in the brain. As with bone cancer, there's an important distinction to make right away. Cancer that starts in the brain itself, called a primary brain tumour, is actually less common than cancer that spreads to the brain from somewhere else in the body — most often the lung, breast, or skin (melanoma). That's called metastatic or secondary brain cancer, and it's managed very differently, usually alongside treatment for the original cancer.
This page focuses on primary brain tumours — tumours that start in the brain or spinal cord itself. Not all of them are cancerous. Meningiomas, the most common primary brain tumour overall, are usually benign. Others, like glioblastoma, are aggressive and require urgent, coordinated treatment.
Section 02
Types of Brain Cancer
Brain cancer is not a single disease, and this is one area of oncology where the specific diagnosis, down to the genetic mutations present in the tumour, changes treatment and outlook enormously. Dr. Aditya Sarin evaluates each case individually, including molecular testing, to confirm the precise diagnosis.
Most Aggressive
Glioblastoma
Grade 4, the most aggressive and most common malignant primary brain tumour in adults. Grows quickly and requires urgent, multidisciplinary treatment.
Molecularly Defined
IDH-Mutant Astrocytoma
A tumour defined by a specific genetic mutation that meaningfully changes both behaviour and treatment options.
Slower-Growing
Oligodendroglioma
Starts in cells that produce the brain's insulating myelin. Tends to grow more slowly than glioblastoma and often responds well to treatment.
Most Common Overall
Meningioma
Usually grade 1 and benign, though a small share are more aggressive and require closer monitoring or treatment.
Paediatric
Medulloblastoma
A childhood brain tumour that grows quickly and requires prompt, specialised paediatric neuro-oncology care.
Section 03
Symptoms of Brain Cancer
Symptoms depend heavily on where in the brain the tumour is located, since different regions control different functions.
Headaches, particularly worse in the morning or waking someone from sleep
Seizures, especially with no prior history
Nausea or vomiting not explained by another cause
Vision changes, including blurred or double vision
Weakness or numbness on one side of the body
Difficulty with balance or coordination
Changes in speech, memory, or personality
Increasing fatigue or drowsiness
Note: A single headache almost never means a brain tumour. What matters is a new pattern — headaches that are getting worse, come with other neurological symptoms, or don't respond to usual pain relief.
Section 04
Causes & Risk Factors
The exact cause of most primary brain tumours isn't known, and this is genuinely one of the harder cancers to pin down a clear cause for. A few factors are established.
Ionising Radiation Exposure
Prior radiation therapy to the head, particularly during childhood, is one of the clearest known risk factors.
Genetic Syndromes
Neurofibromatosis type 1 and 2, and Li-Fraumeni syndrome significantly raise the risk of specific brain tumour types.
Age
Certain tumour types are more common in children, such as medulloblastoma, while glioblastoma becomes more common with increasing age.
Family History
Having a close relative with a brain tumour modestly raises risk, though most cases occur without any family history.
Having a risk factor doesn't mean someone will develop a brain tumour, and most people diagnosed have no identifiable risk factor at all.
Section 05
Brain Cancer Screening & Early Detection
There's no routine population-wide screening test for brain tumours. Detection depends on recognising a genuinely new or worsening neurological symptom and following through with imaging.
Neurological Examination
A doctor checks reflexes, coordination, vision, and cognitive function, pointing toward where in the brain something might be wrong.
MRI
The primary imaging tool for detecting and characterising a brain tumour, providing far more detail than a CT scan.
CT Scan
Sometimes used first, particularly in an urgent setting, since it's faster and more widely available than MRI.
Biopsy
A tissue sample, sometimes taken during the same procedure as tumour removal, confirms diagnosis and identifies genetic markers.
Not every headache needs an MRI. But a new, worsening headache pattern, especially alongside a seizure, vision change, or one-sided weakness, is exactly the kind of combination that does.
Section 06
Grading of Brain Cancer
Brain tumours work differently from most other cancers here. They aren't staged the way breast or prostate cancer are, since primary brain tumours rarely spread outside the central nervous system. Instead, doctors use a grading system from the World Health Organisation that reflects how aggressive the tumour cells look and behave. This grading guidance is current as of 2026.
Grade
What it means
Grade 1
Slow-growing, with cells that look close to normal. Often curable with surgery alone.
Grade 2
Relatively slow-growing but can infiltrate nearby brain tissue, making complete surgical removal harder.
Grade 3
Grows more quickly and infiltrates surrounding tissue more aggressively than grade 2.
Grade 4
The most aggressive grade, including glioblastoma, growing and spreading quickly within the brain.
Molecular markers, including IDH mutation status, are now built directly into how gliomas are classified, since two tumours that look similar under a microscope can behave very differently depending on their underlying genetics.
Survival statistics are population averages. They describe outcomes across large groups of patients and don't predict what will happen to any individual patient.
Glioblastoma outcomes in India
Measure
Value
Median overall survival with standard chemoradiation (Tata Memorial Hospital, 66 patients)
Treatment depends on the tumour type, grade, location, and the patient's overall health. Brain cancer is treated by a multidisciplinary team, and Dr. Aditya Sarin coordinates a comprehensive, personalised treatment plan for every patient.
Maximal Safe Surgical Resection
Removing as much of the tumour as safely possible, balanced carefully against preserving neurological function.
Radiation Therapy
Used after surgery for most malignant brain tumours, and sometimes as a primary treatment when surgery isn't safe.
Chemotherapy
Temozolomide, taken alongside radiation and then afterwards, is the standard chemotherapy backbone for glioblastoma.
Targeted Therapy
An option specifically for tumours with an IDH mutation, now the first new class of drug for glioma treatment in three decades.
Tumor Treating Fields
A wearable device delivering electric fields that disrupt cancer cell division, used alongside chemotherapy for glioblastoma in select patients.
Rehabilitation
Physical, occupational, and speech therapy to help recover or adapt to any function affected by the tumour or its treatment.
Section 09
Latest Advances in Brain Cancer Treatment
Brain cancer, glioblastoma in particular, has been one of the more difficult cancers to make progress against. That makes the most recent development genuinely significant rather than incremental.
1
FDA Approval · August 6, 2024 · IDH-Mutant Glioma
The first new glioma drug in thirty years
On August 6, 2024, the FDA approved vorasidenib for adults and adolescents 12 and older with grade 2 IDH-mutant astrocytoma or oligodendroglioma following surgery. In the pivotal INDIGO trial, vorasidenib more than doubled median progression-free survival compared with placebo (27.7 months versus 11.1 months) and meaningfully delayed the need for chemotherapy or radiation. Researchers describe it as the first effective new drug developed for glioma treatment in three decades.
Whether targeted therapy applies to a given patient depends entirely on IDH mutation status, tumour grade, and prior treatment, which is why molecular testing has become such an essential part of diagnosis rather than an optional add-on. This should be discussed directly with a specialist.
Section 10
Living with Brain Cancer
A brain tumour diagnosis, and its treatment, can affect movement, speech, memory, and mood in ways that make coordinated rehabilitation genuinely central to care, not a secondary concern.
Seizure Management
Many patients need anti-seizure medication as part of ongoing care, particularly around diagnosis and surgery.
Cognitive & Speech Rehabilitation
Occupational and speech therapy to support memory, language, and daily functioning.
Counselling & Support Groups
Emotional support and peer groups for patients and families navigating a diagnosis that often affects personality and cognition.
Section 11
Why Early Detection Matters
With brain tumours, the window between a symptom that could mean something and confirming what it actually is tends to be short. A new seizure, a headache pattern that's changed — those deserve an MRI quickly, not a wait-and-see approach.
— Dr. Aditya Sarin, Medical Oncologist
Grade 1 and grade 2 brain tumours generally offer far more treatment options, including complete surgical removal, than tumours caught at a higher grade.
A new seizure in someone with no prior seizure history should always be evaluated with imaging.
A headache pattern that's genuinely changed, especially with other neurological symptoms, is different from an ordinary headache.
IDH mutation testing can now directly open up a targeted treatment option, which makes molecular testing at diagnosis worth asking about.
Sudden changes in personality, memory, or coordination are neurological symptoms, not something to dismiss as stress or fatigue.
Section 12
Frequently Asked Questions about Brain Cancer
What is the first sign of brain cancer?
Headaches, especially a new pattern that's worse in the morning or wakes someone from sleep, along with seizures, are among the most common first signs. Symptoms vary a lot depending on where in the brain the tumour is located.
Is a brain tumour always cancer?
No. Many primary brain tumours, particularly meningiomas, are benign. The term brain tumour covers both cancerous and non-cancerous growths, which is why an accurate diagnosis through imaging and often biopsy matters so much.
Is most brain cancer cancer that started in the brain?
No, and this is worth knowing. Cancer that spreads to the brain from elsewhere, most often the lung, breast, or skin, is more common than cancer that starts in the brain itself. These are treated differently.
Can brain cancer be cured?
It depends heavily on the type and grade. Grade 1 tumours are often curable with surgery alone. Glioblastoma, the most aggressive type, remains very difficult to cure, though survival has improved somewhat with modern combined treatment and, for a genetically defined subset, targeted therapy.
What does it mean if my tumour has an IDH mutation?
It's actually a favourable finding relative to tumours without it. IDH-mutant tumours generally grow more slowly and, since 2024, have a dedicated targeted therapy option that isn't available for IDH-wildtype tumours like glioblastoma.
Why aren't brain tumours staged like other cancers?
Because most primary brain tumours don't spread outside the brain and spinal cord, the anatomic staging used for cancers like breast or colon cancer doesn't apply in the same way. Instead, brain tumours are graded based on how aggressive the cells look and behave.
What is the best treatment approach for Brain Cancer in Delhi?
Effective brain cancer treatment in Delhi starts with detailed imaging and, where appropriate, molecular testing to confirm the exact tumour type and genetic profile, since this now directly shapes treatment choice. Dr. Aditya Sarin, ESMO board-certified and trained in precision oncology, offers this kind of biomarker-informed, multidisciplinary approach for brain cancer patients in Delhi.
Section 13 · Why Dr. Aditya Sarin
Why Trust Dr. Aditya Sarin for Brain Cancer Care?
ESMO Board Certified · Harvard Trained · Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi
Experienced Brain Cancer Specialist
ESMO Board Certified oncologist with advanced training in precision oncology and cancer genomics from Harvard Medical School.
Coordinated Multidisciplinary Care
Treatment planned alongside neurosurgery, radiation oncology, and rehabilitation specialists for a fully coordinated approach.
Comprehensive Support
Personalised treatment plans, seizure and rehabilitation coordination, emotional counselling, and end-to-end support.
Affordable & Accessible Care
High-quality oncology care with insurance assistance, flexible appointment options, and both in-person and remote consultations.
Mon – Sat (Morning) 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Mon – Sat (Evening) 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Sunday Closed
Early Detection Saves Lives
A new seizure or a headache pattern that's genuinely changed deserves an MRI, not a wait-and-see approach. If you've noticed a new seizure, a changed headache pattern, or simply want expert guidance following an incidental finding on a scan, speak with Dr. Aditya Sarin — a trusted brain cancer specialist in New Delhi.
