The key difference between brain tumor and brain cancer is that brain tumor can be slow-growing noncancerous (benign brain tumors) or fast-growing cancerous while brain cancer is always fast-growing cancerous.
Brain tumor and brain cancer are two associated terms. Brain tumors account for one in every 100 cancers diagnosed annually in the United States. All brain cancers are tumors, but not all brain tumors are cancerous. Non-cancerous brain tumors are called benign brain tumors, which are slow-growing with district borders and rarely spread.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Brain Tumor
3. What is Brain Cancer
4. Similarities – Brain Tumor and Brain Cancer
5. Brain Tumor vs. Brain Cancer in Tabular Form
6. FAQ – Brain Tumor and Brain Cancer
7. Summary – Brain Tumor vs. Brain Cancer
What is a Brain Tumor?
A brain tumor is a specific type of brain lesion. It describes an area of damaged tissue. All tumors are lesions but not all lesions are tumors. Other brain lesions in the brain can be caused by stroke, injury, encephalitis, and arteriovenous malformation. The common symptoms of a brain tumor are headaches, seizures or convulsions, difficulty thinking, speaking, or finding words, personality or behavior changes, weakness, numbness or paralysis in one part or one side of the body, loss of balance, dizziness or unsteadiness, loss of hearing, vision changes, confusion, and memory loss. A brain tumor can be caused by a person’s genes or his or her environment, or both. Moreover, the risk factors for brain tumor may include cancers that spread from other parts of the body, certain genetic conditions that predispose a person to the overproduction of certain cells in the brain, and exposure to some types of radiation.
Figure 01: Brain Tumor
A brain tumor can be diagnosed through neurological exams, brain scans (EEG, CT scan, and MRI), and a biopsy. Furthermore, treatment options for a brain tumor may include surgery (craniotomy, neuroendoscopy, laser ablation, and laser interstitial thermal therapy), chemotherapy, and radiation therapy (external beam radiation therapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, and proton therapy).
What is a Brain Cancer?
Brain cancer is able to spread into the other parts of the brain and spinal cord. Common types may include astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas, glioblastomas, and mixed gliomas. The symptoms of brain cancer may include seizures, weakness or paralysis, loss of balance, general irritability, nausea and vomiting, and disturbed vision, hearing, smell, or taste. Brain cancers can be caused due to certain inherited or genetic conditions. Moreover, the risk factors for brain cancer are exposure to very high doses of radiation to the head.
Figure 02: Brain Cancer
Brain cancer can be diagnosed through CT scans, MRI scans, MRS scans, PET scans, SPECT scans, and lumber punctures. Furthermore, treatment options for brain cancer may include palliative care, surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or steroid therapy
What are the Similarities Between Brain Tumor and Brain Cancer?
- Brain tumor and brain cancer are two associated terms.
- Brain cancer is a type of brain tumor.
- Both can be diagnosed through neurological examinations and brain scans.
- They can be treated through surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.
What is the Difference Between Brain Tumor and Brain Cancer?
Brain tumor can be slow-growing noncancerous or fast-growing cancerous while brain cancer is always fast-growing cancerous. This is the key difference between brain tumor and brain cancer. Furthermore, the risk factors for brain tumor may include cancers that spread from other parts of the body, certain genetic conditions that predispose a person to the overproduction of certain cells in the brain, and exposure to some types of radiation. On the other hand, the risk factors for brain cancer are exposure to very high doses of radiation to the head.
The following table summarizes the difference between brain tumor and brain cancer.
FAQ: Brain Tumor and Brain Cancer
Can a brain tumor mean cancer?
Cancer is the development of abnormal cells that divide uncontrollably. All brain cancers are tumors. But, not all tumors are cancerous. There are noncancerous brain tumors called benign brain tumors that are slow growing.
What are the first warning signs of a brain tumor?
Some of the common signs of brain tumor are headache episodes, seizures, changes in personality, vision problems, memory loss, mood changes, loss of balance, nausea and fatigue.
Can brain tumors be removed?
Noncancerous brain tumors can be removed successfully and they will not grow again if removed all the tumor safely. In contrast, malignant tumors are difficult to treat since they grow and spread more quickly.
Summary – Brain Tumor vs. Brain Cancer
Brain tumor and brain cancer are two associated terms. A brain tumor is a specific type of brain lesion. Brain tumors can be non-cancerous or malignant. Therefore, brain cancer is a malignant tumor that is able to spread into the other parts of the brain and spinal cord. This summarizes the difference between brain tumor and brain cancer.
Reference:
1. “Brain Tumor.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
2. “Brain Tumors and Brain Cancer.” Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Depiction of a man with a tumour in his brain” By Myupchar.com (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Brain Cancer Loops” By National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) (Public Domain) via Flickr