Brain tumour prognosis
A prognosis is when your doctor gives you a forecast of the likely outcome of your medical condition.
Your doctor cannot be absolutely certain about what will happen to you following a diagnosis of a brain tumour. They can give you an estimate, based on your tumour type and current situation, but they may not be able to predict other factors, such as how well you might respond to treatment. This is why prognosis is often an ongoing process, revised at different stages in your journey.
This information is a general overview of prognosis for the most common types of brain tumour in adults and children.
If you want to talk to someone about a brain tumour diagnosis, we’re here to help.
You can call our support line on 0808 800 0004, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Or you can order a free brain tumour information pack
Brain tumour survival
The figures listed below are given in 1, 2, 5 and 10 year intervals simply because doctors use these intervals for research/measuring purposes – they are not meant to represent how long a person will live past those intervals. For example, a patient who is a 5 year survivor might live as long as any other healthy person, depending on their circumstances.
Adult brain tumours
It is important to remember that statistics and averages cannot tell you what will happen to you specifically. You can find a general overview of prognosis for the most common adult brain tumours below.
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Low grade (grade 1)
More than 80% of people with this type of meningioma survive for 5 years or more after diagnosis.
High grade (grade 3)
Less than 60% with a high grade meningioma survive for 5 years or more after diagnosis.
Need more information?
Our Brain Tumour Information Pack has been designed to help you cope with your diagnosis and support you during this difficult time. It can help to guide you through the healthcare system, answer your questions, and reassure you that you’re not alone so that you feel confident when discussing treatment and care options with your medical team.
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Low grade (grade 2)
About 66 to 78% of people with a grade 2 oligodendroglioma survive for 5 years or more after diagnosis.
High grade/anaplastic (grade 3)
About 30 to 38% of people with this type of tumour will survive for 5 years or more after they are diagnosed.
Need more information?
Our Brain Tumour Information Pack has been designed to help you cope with your diagnosis and support you during this difficult time. It can help to guide you through the healthcare system, answer your questions, and reassure you that you’re not alone so that you feel confident when discussing treatment and care options with your medical team.
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Low grade (grade 2)
The average survival time after surgery is 6 – 8 years. More than 40% of people live more than 10 years.
High grade (grade 3)
About 27% of people diagnosed with a high grade astrocytoma live for five years or more.
Need more information?
Our Brain Tumour Information Pack has been designed to help you cope with your diagnosis and support you during this difficult time. It can help to guide you through the healthcare system, answer your questions, and reassure you that you’re not alone so that you feel confident when discussing treatment and care options with your medical team.
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The average survival time is 12-18 months – only 25% of glioblastoma patients survive more than one year, and only 5% of patients survive more than five years.
Need more information?
Our Brain Tumour Information Pack has been designed to help you cope with your diagnosis and support you during this difficult time. It can help to guide you through the healthcare system, answer your questions, and reassure you that you’re not alone so that you feel confident when discussing treatment and care options with your medical team.
Childhood brain tumours
It is important to remember that statistics and averages cannot tell you exactly what will happen to your child. You can find a general overview of prognosis for the most common types of brain tumour in children below.
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Almost 90% of children survive for 5 years or more after surgery.
Need more information?
Our Brain Tumour Information Pack has been designed to help you cope with your diagnosis and support you during this difficult time. It can help to guide you through the healthcare system, answer your questions, and reassure you that you’re not alone so that you feel confident when discussing treatment and care options with your medical team.
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Average risk
About 70 to 80% of children diagnosed with medulloblastoma live for five years or more.
High risk
About 60 to 65% of children live for five years or more.
Need more information?
Our Brain Tumour Information Pack has been designed to help you cope with your diagnosis and support you during this difficult time. It can help to guide you through the healthcare system, answer your questions, and reassure you that you’re not alone so that you feel confident when discussing treatment and care options with your medical team.
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About 60% of children with diagnosed with an Ependymoma brain tumour survive for five years or more.
Need more information?
Our Brain Tumour Information Pack has been designed to help you cope with your diagnosis and support you during this difficult time. It can help to guide you through the healthcare system, answer your questions, and reassure you that you’re not alone so that you feel confident when discussing treatment and care options with your medical team.
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About 10% of children with DIPG survive longer than 2 years after diagnosis.
Need more information?
Our Brain Tumour Information Pack has been designed to help you cope with your diagnosis and support you during this difficult time. It can help to guide you through the healthcare system, answer your questions, and reassure you that you’re not alone so that you feel confident when discussing treatment and care options with your medical team.
Get your free brain tumour information pack
Our Brain Tumour Information Pack has been designed to help you cope with your diagnosis and support you during this difficult time. It can help to guide you through the healthcare system, answer your questions, and reassure you that you’re not alone so that you feel confident when discussing treatment and care options with your medical team.
Unfortunately, we’re currently unable to send Information Packs by post. All the information contained in the pack can be found in the email you’ll receive after completing this form.