Can brain cancer spread to other organs?

While it is normal to feel scared, insecure, or angry about a brain tumor diagnosis, you can empower yourself to cope by taking this one step at a time. Start gathering information. Talk to everyone ... Primary brain tumors may spread to other parts of the brain or to the spine, but rarely to other organs. read more

Although spread beyond the CNS is rare, several types may spread via the cerebral spinal fluid to other areas within the CNS. Glioblastoma has been reported to metastasize to extra-CNS sites (outside the brain or spinal cord). read more

Brain cancers can arise from primary brain cells, the cells that form other brain components (for example, membranes, blood vessels), or from the growth of cancer cells that develop in other organs and that have spread to the brain by the bloodstream (metastatic or secondary brain cancer). read more

When many cancer cells are found in one or more nearby lymph nodes, it is referred to as regional disease or stage III cancer. Cancer cells can also travel to lymph nodes far from the primary tumor or to other organs or tissues in the body, where they collect to form a metastatic tumor. read more

Germ cell tumors, arising in the pineal region and supra-optic hypothalamus may arise in the brain and spread to extracranial sites, but like hemangiopericytomas, it may be that a separate identical tumor may arise after the one in the brain (metachronous occurrence). read more

Not all cancers spread, but any cancer can spread to any other part of the body. When it does take hold in an organ, it can grow in a disorderly fashion and interfere with the normal function of that organ. When cancer does spread, it more commonly metastasizes to vital organs such as the lungs, liver, bone, and brain. read more

The brain. Some types of cancer can spread to the brain, such as lung cancer and breast cancer. More rarely colon (bowel) cancer, kidney cancer and melanoma can also spread to the brain. The most common symptoms are headaches and feeling sick. These symptoms happen because there is a limited amount of space for the brain. read more