Brain tumors: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment 

Dahyun Kim

August 29, 2025

Brain tumor is when there is an abnormal growth of cells within the brain area. The tumor can be either cancerous or non cancerous, so called benign and malignant tumors. While people’s common understanding is that as long as the tumor is not cancerous, it will not have a significantly negative impact on the rest of the body. However, even benign tumors can be very dangerous as the tumor will grow within the limited space in the brain and skull, pressing down brain structures thus leading to following health problems. 

It has never come to a final conclusion of the cause of brain tumors—the study is still ongoing to this day. However, some researchers have found that there are some risk factors that can contribute to the increase in getting a brain tumor. According to the Cleveland Clinic, genetic mutations, a family history of brain cancer, exposure to high doses of radiation, and in some cases, weakened immune systems can contribute to the diagnosis. Also, like most of the other diseases, age plays a slightly significant role in brain tumors as some types of brain tumors are more prevalent in young children than in adults. 

The symptoms of the brain tumor varies by person and the size and location inside of the brain, but some of the common symptoms to having a brain tumor is persistent headaches, hard time balancing, changes in speech, memory, or personality change. However, it is easy to overlook these symptoms as these overlap with daily mistakes and/or other things such as tiredness, sleep deprivation, and other sicknesses. It is important to get it checked out whenever your body feels off—it is better to get it checked out than to find it out later. 

There are various ways to treat this brain tumor and are dependent in size and the location. Commonly, the first solution is to get rid of them through surgery. However, this might not work for everyone as some locations might be worse to go through surgery. In this case, other treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy can be done to reduce the size. Recently, drug treatments have been advancing where they target the tumor and use drugs to alleviate the size and symptoms, giving hope to more people. 

Brain tumors can sound like something far from individuals until it comes right to them. It is always important to keep track and listen to your body, maintaining a healthy life.