Brain Tumors: Primary - Introduction

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Click the icon to see an image of the pituitary gland.

Central Nervous System Lymphomas. Central nervous system (CNS) lymphomas can affect both people with healthy immune systems and those who are immunocompromised due to other medical conditions (recipients of organ transplants, patients infected with HIV). CNS lymphomas occur most often in the cerebral hemisphere but can also develop in cerebrospinal fluid, eyes, and spinal cord. [For more information, see In-Depth Report #84: Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.]

Benign types of non-glioma brain tumors include:

Meningiomas. Meningiomas are usually benign tumors that develop in the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord (the meninges).

Click the icon to see an image of the meninges.

Meningiomas account for about 25% of all primary brain tumors and are most common in women in their 60s and 70s. Meningiomas are classified as benign meningioma (grade I), atypical meningioma (grade II), and anaplastic meningioma (grade III).

Review Date: 10/21/2010
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).

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