Brain tumours that start in the brain are called primary brain tumours. But, can a brain tumour be secondary cancer? In other words, can a cancer that has started in another part of the body spread to the brain?
Sadly, yes. Cancer cells can be carried through the bloodstream and start growing in another part of the body. This includes the brain.
Here, we’ll look at secondary brain tumours, how they start, their symptoms, how they’re treated and more.
In this blog:
- What is secondary brain cancer?
- Which cancers can spread to the brain?
- Symptoms of secondary brain cancer
- How is a secondary brain tumour diagnosed?
- What is the treatment for secondary brain tumours?
- What’s the prognosis for secondary brain cancer?
What is secondary brain cancer?
Secondary brain cancer grows when cells from a cancer that started in another part of the body spread to the brain through the bloodstream.
These cells then form a new tumour in the brain, which is called a secondary brain tumour or metastatic brain tumour.
This is different from a primary brain tumour, which starts in the brain.
The type of cancer cells in a secondary brain tumour are the same as those in the primary cancer. So, if the cancer starts as kidney cancer, for example, the secondary brain tumour will be made up of kidney cancer cells.
Which cancers can spread to the brain?
Any cancer can potentially spread to the brain and become secondary brain cancer.
Some of the common primary cancers that can spread to the brain include:
- lung cancer
- breast cancer
- melanoma (a type of skin cancer)
- kidney cancer
- bowel cancer.
Symptoms of secondary brain cancer
Secondary brain cancer symptoms can vary depending on the type, size and location of the tumours.
Each person’s symptoms will depend on these as well as other things relating to their overall health.
That being said, there are some common symptoms of secondary brain tumours.
Common secondary brain cancer symptoms include:
- headaches
- weakness or numbness of a part of the body, particularly one side
- seizures
- changes in vision
- difficulty with speech or communication
- nausea and vomiting
- confusion or memory problems
- changes in behaviour or personality.
How is a secondary brain tumour diagnosed?
When diagnosing secondary brain cancer, doctors usually carry out a physical exam and ask about your symptoms and medical history. This will probably include the primary cancer, if you’ve already been diagnosed.
Medical professionals might also use imaging tests, like MRI or CT scans, to diagnose and learn more about your secondary brain cancer.
In some cases, your medical team might do a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis and learn more about the tumour cells.
What is the treatment for secondary brain tumours?
Treatment options for secondary brain tumours depend on the type of tumour and where it’s formed in the brain. They also depend on your overall health.
Treatment may include:
Surgery
Surgery to remove the brain tumour or tumours is often the first type of treatment offered.
But, surgery isn’t always the right type of treatment. Sometimes it might not be the best treatment for you if there’s a chance it’ll hurt healthy parts of your brain, if the cancer has spread too much in your brain, or if it could affect your health.
If surgery is right for you, the operation will be the same as it would be to remove a primary brain tumour.
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy is a type of treatment that uses radiation to target and destroy tumour cells.
This type of treatment can be given as the main type of treatment if surgery isn’t possible. Or, it could be given after surgery to destroy any tumour cells that might be left over.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer drugs to target and destroy tumour cells in the body.
They’re usually put into the bloodstream and carried around the whole body to attack tumour cells. But, sometimes they’re put straight into the brain.
These anti-cancer drugs try to stop cancer cells dividing and copying themselves. This causes the cancer cells to die.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a treatment type that uses the body’s immune system to find and attack harmful threats, like cancer cells.
The goal is to activate the immune system’s natural defences to combat cancer. This can be achieved using one or more of the six main types of immunotherapy.
Steroids
A brain tumour can cause the brain cells around it to swell. The pressure from this swelling can lead to symptoms like headaches and seizures.
Steroids are used to reduce swelling and pressure in the brain, which can help to reduce those symptoms.
This is the main use of steroids when treating brain tumours. They aren’t used to treat the tumour itself but rather manage the symptoms it creates.
What’s the prognosis for secondary brain cancer?
The prognosis for secondary brain tumours can vary depending on the type of primary cancer, the type of tumour that forms, the number and size of the tumours and your overall health.
It differs for everyone.
Some people with secondary brain tumours might live for a long time while others might have a shorter prognosis.
Your medical team will discuss this with you in more detail during your diagnosis.
Find out more
Secondary brain tumours are also called brain metastases.
If you’d like to learn more about these, take a look at our brain metastases page, where we cover these in more detail.
And, if you’ve been diagnosed with a secondary tumour, or you know someone who has, you can reach out to our Support Team for more information or a listening ear.