What are the symptoms of brain cancer?
The symptoms of brain cancer depend on where the tumour is in the brain, the size of the tumour and how quickly it is growing.
Some common symptoms of brain cancer include:
- severe headaches, which may or may not be accompanied by nausea and vomiting
- weakness on one side of the body (hemiparesis)
- seizures
- changes in thinking or personality
- disturbed vision or speech
- difficulty controlling movement (ataxia)
- dizziness.
There are a number of conditions that may cause these symptoms, not just brain cancer. If any of these symptoms are experienced, it is important that they are discussed with a doctor.
Australian Cancer Network Adult Brain Tumour Guidelines Working Party. Clinical practice guidelines for the management of adult gliomas: astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas. Cancer Council Australia, Australian Cancer Network and Clinical Oncological Society of Australia Inc., Sydney, 2009