Brain Tumor: Symptoms and Signs

Approved by the Cancer.Net Editorial Board, 03/2023

ON THIS PAGE: You will find out more about the changes and medical problems that can be a sign of a brain tumor. Use the menu to see other pages.

What are the symptoms and signs of a brain tumor?

People with a brain tumor may experience one or more of the following symptoms or signs. Symptoms are changes that you can feel in your body. Signs are changes in something measured, like taking your blood pressure or doing a lab test. Together, symptoms and signs can help describe a medical problem. Sometimes, people with a brain tumor do not have any of the symptoms and signs described below. Or, the cause of a symptom or sign may be a medical condition that is not a brain tumor.

Symptoms of a brain tumor can be general or specific. A general symptom is caused by the pressure of the tumor on the brain or spinal cord. Specific symptoms are caused when a specific part of the brain is not working well because of the tumor. For many people with a brain tumor, they were diagnosed when they went to the doctor after experiencing a problem, such as a headache or other changes.

General symptoms of a brain tumor

  • Headaches, which may be severe and worsen with activity or in the early morning

  • Seizures. People may experience different types of seizures. Certain drugs can help prevent or control them. Motor seizures, also called convulsions, are sudden involuntary movements of a person’s muscles. The different types of seizures and what they look like are listed below:

    • Myoclonic

      • Single or multiple muscle twitches, jerks, spasms

    • Tonic-Clonic (Grand Mal)

      • Loss of consciousness and body tone, followed by twitching and relaxing muscles that are called contractions

      • Loss of control of body functions, such as loss of bladder control

      • May be a short 30-second period of no breathing and a person's skin may turn a shade of blue, purple, gray, white, or green

      • After this type of seizure, a person may be sleepy and experience a headache, confusion, weakness, numbness, and sore muscles

    • Sensory

      • Change in sensation, vision, smell, and/or hearing without losing consciousness

    • Complex partial

      • May cause a loss of awareness or a partial or total loss of consciousness

      • May be associated with repetitive, unintentional movements, such as twitching

  • Personality or memory changes

  • Nausea or vomiting

  • Fatigue

  • Drowsiness

  • Sleep problems

  • Memory problems

  • Changes in ability to walk or perform daily activities

Symptoms that may be specific to the brain tumor location

  • Pressure or headache near the tumor.

  • Loss of balance and difficulty with fine motor skills is linked with a tumor in the cerebellum.

  • Changes in judgment, including loss of initiative, sluggishness, and muscle weakness or paralysis is associated with a tumor in the frontal lobe of the cerebrum.

  • Partial or complete loss of vision is caused by a tumor in the occipital lobe or temporal lobe of the cerebrum.

  • Changes in speech, hearing, memory, or emotional state, such as aggressiveness and problems understanding or retrieving words can develop from a tumor in the frontal and temporal lobe of the cerebrum.

  • Altered perception of touch or pressure, arm or leg weakness on 1 side of the body, or confusion with left and right sides of the body are linked to a tumor in the frontal or parietal lobe of the cerebrum.

  • Inability to look upward can be caused by a pineal gland tumor.

  • Lactation, which is the secretion of breast milk, and altered menstrual periods, as well as growth of the hands and feet during adulthood, are linked with a pituitary tumor.

  • Difficulty swallowing, facial weakness or numbness, or double vision is a symptom of a tumor in the brain stem.

  • Vision changes, including loss of part of the vision or double vision can be from a tumor in the temporal lobe, occipital lobe, or brain stem.

If you are concerned about any changes you experience, please talk with your doctor. Your doctor will try to understand what is causing your symptom(s). They may do an exam and order tests to understand the cause of the problem, which is called a diagnosis.

If a brain tumor is diagnosed, relieving symptoms remains an important part of your care and treatment. Managing symptoms may also be called "palliative and supportive care," which is not the same as hospice care given at the end of life. This type of care focuses on managing symptoms and supporting people who face serious illnesses, such as cancer. You can receive palliative and supportive care at any time during cancer treatment. Learn more in this guide’s section on Coping with Treatment.

Be sure to talk with your health care team about the symptoms you experience, including any new symptoms or a change in symptoms. Learn more about managing symptoms of a brain tumor in the Types of Treatment section.

The next section in this guide is Diagnosis. It explains what tests may be needed to learn more about the cause of the symptoms. Use the menu to choose a different section to read in this guide.