Brain Tumors: Signs and Symptoms

Brain tumor symptoms come from two different mechanisms. Some come from pressure building up inside the skull, a closed space with no room to expand. Others come from the tumor sitting in one specific spot. That disrupts whatever that part of the brain normally does. Knowing both kinds helps make sense of a confusing set of possible signs.

These symptoms can happen no matter where a tumor sits. They come from pressure inside the skull.

• Headaches that get worse over time. These occur in about half of people with a brain tumor.
• Seizures. These also occur in about half of people at some point.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Blurred vision.
• Problems with balance.
• Changes in personality or behavior.
• Drowsiness, or in severe cases, loss of consciousness.

A headache alone is common. It usually has nothing to do with a brain tumor. What matters is the pattern. Is it new? Does it keep getting worse over weeks? Is it worse in the morning? Does it come with any of the other symptoms above?

Where a tumor sits changes what it disrupts.

• Movement or sensation areas of the brain. Weakness or numbness, often on one side of the body.
• Language areas. Trouble speaking or understanding words.
• Frontal lobe. Changes in thinking, personality, or judgment.
• Cerebellum, which controls coordination. Trouble walking, clumsy hand or arm movements, swallowing problems, or changes in speech rhythm.
• Near the pituitary gland or optic nerves. Vision problems.
• Cranial nerves. Hearing loss, balance problems, facial weakness or pain, or trouble swallowing.

Tumors in the spinal cord cause a different pattern. They can cause numbness, weakness, or clumsiness in the arms or legs. They can also cause trouble controlling the bladder or bowel. These symptoms often develop gradually. That can make them easy to dismiss at first as an unrelated ache or strain.

Sudden or rapidly worsening weakness or numbness in the legs is a medical emergency, especially with new loss of bladder or bowel control. It can mean the spinal cord is being compressed. Do not wait for a scheduled appointment or a callback the next day. Go to an emergency room immediately. Waiting even a day or two can allow permanent nerve damage. That damage may not be reversible once it happens. The same urgency applies to a sudden, severe headache unlike any before, new confusion, or a first-ever seizure.

Almost every symptom on this list can be caused by something far more common than a brain tumor. Tension headaches, migraines, stress, and normal aging can all cause these symptoms. What distinguishes a symptom worth investigating is whether it is new, whether it persists, or whether it is getting worse. This matters most when several symptoms show up together. A single mild headache is not a reason to panic. A headache pattern that has changed over weeks, alongside new weakness or a first seizure, is.

Not every brain tumor announces itself. Slow-growing tumors, especially small, benign ones like some meningiomas, can sit for years without causing any symptoms. These are sometimes found by chance, on a scan done for an unrelated reason like a head injury or a sinus workup. Finding a tumor this way can feel frightening precisely because you had no warning signs. It does not mean the tumor is more dangerous — often the opposite, since a tumor with no symptoms has usually not grown large enough or invaded areas that would disrupt normal brain function.

• Given my symptoms, do I need brain imaging, and how soon?
• Which of my symptoms fit a pattern that points to one part of the brain?
• What symptoms should send me to an emergency room rather than wait for an appointment?
• If I have a known tumor, which new symptoms would mean it has grown or changed?

• American Cancer Society — Signs and Symptoms of Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors in Adults