Symptoms based on tumour location in the brain

A brain tumour located in the frontal lobe may cause difficulty with:

• concentrating or focusing your attention on something
• speaking
• communication skills and language production
• controlling emotions and behaviour
• executive functions (making decisions, solving problems, planning and organising)
• learning and remembering new information
• lack of inhibition (making inappropriate comments during conversation or laughing in inappropriate situations)
• social cognition, impulse control and sexual behaviour
• weakness on the opposite side of the body from the tumour
• loss of smell.

A brain tumour located in the temporal lobe may cause difficulty with:

• hearing
• speaking
• identifying and categorising objects
• learning new information
• correctly identifying emotions in others
• memory loss
• seizures or blackouts
• sensations of strange smells.

A brain tumour located in the parietal lobe may cause difficulty with:

• bringing together information from your different senses (touch, vision, hearing, smell, taste) and making sense of it
• recognising faces or objects
• co-ordinating movements
• spatial awareness (judging distances and hand-eye co-ordination)
• speaking, understanding words, writing and reading
• numbness on the opposite side of the body from the tumour.

A brain tumour located in the occipital lobe may cause:

• difficulty with vision e.g. identifying objects or colours
• loss of vision on one side.

A brain tumour located in the cerebellum may cause:

• difficulty with balance
• loss of co-ordination
• difficulty walking and speaking
• difficulty using executive functions (making decisions, solving problems, planning and organising)
• flickering of the eyes
• vomiting
• stiff neck
• problems with dexterity (skills in using your hands).

A tumour located in the brain stem may cause:

• unsteadiness and difficulty walking
• facial weakness
• double vision
• difficulty speaking and swallowing.