Headaches as a result of raised intracranial pressure can be an early symptom of brain cancer. However, isolated headache without other symptoms is rarer, and other symptoms often occur before headaches become common. Certain warning signs for headache exist which make it more likely to be associated with brain cancer. These are as defined by the American Academy of Neurology: "abnormal neurological examination, headache worsened by Valsalva maneuver, headache causing awakening from sleep, new headache in the older population, progressively worsening headache, atypical headache features, or patients who do not fulfill the strict definition of migraine".

The signs and symptoms of brain tumors are broad. People with brain tumors will experience them no matter if the tumor is benign (not cancerous) or cancerous. Primary and secondary brain tumors present with similar symptoms, depending on the location, size, and rate of growth of the tumor. For example, larger tumors in the frontal lobe can cause changes in the ability to think. However, a smaller tumor in an area such as Wernicke's area (small area responsible for language comprehension) can result in a greater loss of function.

Children with PXA can present with a variety of symptoms. Complaints may vary, and patients may report symptoms that have been occurring for many months and are often linked with more common diseases. (For example, headaches are a common complaint.)

Some children, however, will present with symptoms that start very suddenly, like seizures.

Small tumors (e.g., < 2.0 cm) usually are incidental findings at autopsy without having caused symptoms. Larger tumors may cause symptoms, depending on the size and location.

- Focal seizures may be caused by meningiomas that overlie the cerebrum.

- Progressive spastic weakness in legs and incontinence may be caused by tumors that overlie the parasagittal frontoparietal region.

- Tumors of the Sylvian aqueduct may cause myriad motor, sensory, aphasic, and seizure symptoms, depending on the location.

- Increased intracranial pressure eventually occurs, but is less frequent than in gliomas.

- Diplopia (Double vision) or uneven pupil size may be symptoms if related pressure causes a third and/or sixth nerve palsy.

There is a wide range of symptoms that patients show. Symptoms can lie dormant, but come about due to Obstructive hydrocephalus. These symptoms include:

- Intracranial pressure

- Headache

- Papilledema

- Vomiting

- Light headedness

- Impaired mental activity

- Gait instability

In rare and extreme cases, more severe symptoms can be observed:

- Memory disturbance

- Dementia

- Hemiparesis

- Seizures

- Hemorrhage

- Psychosis

Seizures, frequent mood changes, and headaches are among the earliest symptoms of the tumor. Hemiparesis, or physical weakness on one side of the body, is also common. A continuous EEG recording of the brain's electrical activity may help to identify and localize seizure activity, especially in children. CT scans and MRI scans of the brain may show the presence of a diffuse mass that fails to light up when a contrast dye is given. In some cases, a biopsy may be required to confirm the nature of the tumour.

Symptoms of gliomas depend on which part of the central nervous system is affected. A brain glioma can cause headaches, vomiting, seizures, and cranial nerve disorders as a result of increased intracranial pressure. A glioma of the optic nerve can cause visual loss. Spinal cord gliomas can cause pain, weakness, or numbness in the extremities. Gliomas do not metastasize by the bloodstream, but they can spread via the cerebrospinal fluid and cause "drop metastases" to the spinal cord.

A child who has a subacute disorder of the central nervous system that produces cranial nerve abnormalities (especially of cranial nerve VII and the lower bulbar nerves), long-tract signs, unsteady gait secondary to spasticity, and some behavioral changes is most likely to have a pontine glioma.

Individuals with this type of tumor may have no symptoms if cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow remains open. Obstruction of CSF flow will result in the symptoms associated with increased CSF pressure: nausea, vomiting, headache (often positional), lethargy, blurry or double vision, new or worsened seizures, and personality change.

Gliomas can be classified according to whether they are above or below a membrane in the brain called the tentorium. The tentorium separates the cerebrum (above) from the cerebellum (below).

- The supratentorial is above the tentorium, in the cerebrum, and mostly found in adults (70%).

- The infratentorial is below the tentorium, in the cerebellum, and mostly found in children (70%).

- The pontine tumors are located in the pons of the brainstem. The brainstem has three parts (pons, midbrain, and medulla); the pons controls critical functions such as breathing, making surgery on these extremely dangerous.

Vision deficit usually occurs when lesions grow in the occipital lobe of the brain, causing a blurred daze for patients, especially in sensitivity to light. Focusing upon finer objects becomes a challenge, along with edge and border detection. Driving behind the wheel is dangerous when astroblastoma grows in residual tissue size, since peripheral vision can be insufficient. Horizontal nystagmus and other involuntary eye disorders can occur.

Children affected by pilocytic astrocytoma can present with different symptoms that might include failure to thrive (lack of appropriate weight gain/ weight loss), headache, nausea, vomiting, irritability, torticollis (tilt neck or wry neck) difficulty to coordinate movements and visual complaints (including nystagmus). The complaints may vary depending on the location and size of the neoplasm. The most common symptoms are associated with increased intracranial pressure due to the size of the neoplasm.

Source:

- severe headache

- visual loss (due to papilledema)

- vomiting

- bilateral Babinski sign

- drowsiness (after several hours of the above symptoms)

- gait change (rotation of feet when walking)

- impaction/constipation

- back flexibility

The desire to eat normally becomes worse over time, leading to weight loss from vomiting. Nausea is seen in almost all cases of astroblastoma, especially in low-grade tumors.

Subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA, SGCA, or SGCT) is a low-grade astrocytic brain tumor (astrocytoma) that arises within the ventricles of the brain. It is most commonly associated with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Although it is a low-grade tumor, its location can potentially obstruct the ventricles and lead to hydrocephalus.

Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA) is a brain tumor that occurs most frequently in children and teenagers. At Boston Children's Hospital, the average age at diagnosis is 12 years.

Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma usually develops within the supratentorial region (the area of the brain located above the tentorium cerebelli). It is generally located superficially (in the uppermost sections) in the cerebral hemispheres, and involves the leptomeninges. It rarely arises from the spinal cord.

These tumors are formed through the mitosis of astrocytes. They are found in the area of the temples, in the brain's frontal lobe, or on top of the parietal lobe. In about 20% of cases, tumors exist in more than one lobe.

Fibrillary astrocytomas arise from neoplastic astrocytes, a type of glial cell found in the central nervous system. They may occur anywhere in the brain, or even in the spinal cord, but are most commonly found in the cerebral hemispheres. As the alternative name of "diffuse astrocytoma" implies, the outline of the tumour is not clearly visible in scans, because the borders of the neoplasm tend to send out tiny microscopic fibrillary tentacles that spread into the surrounding brain tissue. These tentacles intermingle with healthy brain cells, making complete surgical removal difficult. However, they are low grade tumors, with a slow rate of growth, so that patients commonly survive longer than those with otherwise similar types of brain tumour, such as glioblastoma multiforme.

There are many possible symptoms of oligodendrogliomas that are similar to other gliomas. These symptoms may include headache, seizure and speech or motor changes.

Common symptoms include, but are not necessarily limited to:

- Lack of facial control, (droopy eyelids)

- Double vision

- Headache or headache that gets better after vomiting

- Nausea and vomiting

- Weakness and fatigue

- Seizures

- Balance problems

- Numbness in face

Symptoms can develop slowly and subtly and may go unnoticed for months. In other cases, the symptoms may arise abruptly. A sudden onset of symptoms tends to occur with more rapidly growing, high-grade tumors.

In anywhere from fifty to eighty percent of cases, the first symptom of an oligodendroglioma is the onset of seizure activity. They occur mainly in the frontal lobe.

Headaches combined with increased intracranial pressure are also a common symptom of oligodendroglioma. Depending on the location of the tumor, any neurological deficit can be induced, from visual loss, motor weakness and cognitive decline. A computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan is necessary to characterize the anatomy of this tumor (size, location, heter/homogeneity). However, final diagnosis of this tumor, like most tumors, relies on histopathologic examination (biopsy examination).

Pilocytic astrocytoma or juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma or cystic cerebellar astrocytoma (and its variant juvenile pilomyxoid astrocytoma) is a brain tumor that occurs more often in children and young adults (in the first 20 years of life). They usually arise in the cerebellum, near the brainstem, in the hypothalamic region, or the optic chiasm, but they may occur in any area where astrocytes are present, including the cerebral hemispheres and the spinal cord. These tumors are usually slow growing and benign. The neoplasms are associated with the formation of a single (or multiple) cyst(s), and can become very large.

Pilocytic astrocytomas are often cystic, and, if solid, tend to be well-circumscribed. It is characteristically easily seen on Computed tomography (CT scans) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).

Juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma is associated with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), and optic gliomas are among the most frequently encountered tumors in patients with this disorder. The majority of pilocytic astrocytomas have a unique KIAA1549-BRAF fusion gene.

Meningioma, also known as meningeal tumor, is typically a slow-growing tumor that forms from the meninges, the membranous layers surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms depend on the location and occur as a result of the tumor pressing on nearby tissue. Many cases never produce symptoms. Occasionally seizures, dementia, trouble talking, vision problems, one sided weakness, or loss of bladder control may occur.

Risk factors include exposure to ionizing radiation such as during radiation therapy, a family history of the condition, and neurofibromatosis type 2. As of 2014 they do not appear to be related to cell phone use. They appear to be able to form from a number of different types of cells including arachnoid cells. Diagnosis is typically by medical imaging.

If there are no symptoms, periodic observation may be all that is required. Most cases that result in symptoms can be cured by surgery. Following complete removal less than 20% recur. If surgery is not possible or all the tumor cannot be removed radiosurgery may be helpful. Chemotherapy has not been found to be useful. A small percentage grow rapidly and are associated with worse outcomes.

About one per thousand people in the United States are currently affected. Onset is usually in adults. In this group they represent about 30% of brain tumors. Women are affected about twice as often as men. Meningiomas were reported as early as 1614 by Felix Plater.

Signs and symptoms are mainly due to secondary increased intracranial pressure due to blockage of the fourth ventricle and are usually present for 1 to 5 months before diagnosis is made. The child typically becomes listless, with repeated episodes of vomiting, and a morning headache, which may lead to a misdiagnosis of gastrointestinal disease or migraine. Soon after, the child will develop a stumbling gait, truncal ataxia, frequent falls, diplopia, papilledema, and sixth cranial nerve palsy. Positional dizziness and nystagmus are also frequent, and facial sensory loss or motor weakness may be present. Decerebrate attacks appear late in the disease.

Extraneural metastasis to the rest of the body is rare, and when it occurs, it is in the setting of relapse, more commonly in the era prior to routine chemotherapy.

Astrocytomas are a type of cancer of the brain. They originate in a particular kind of glial cells, star-shaped brain cells in the cerebrum called astrocytes. This type of tumor does not usually spread outside the brain and spinal cord and it does not usually affect other organs. Astrocytomas are the most common glioma and can occur in most parts of the brain and occasionally in the spinal cord. Within the astrocytomas, there are two broad classes recognized in literature, those with:

- Narrow zones of infiltration (mostly noninvasive tumors; e.g., pilocytic astrocytoma, subependymal giant cell astrocytoma, pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma), that often are clearly outlined on diagnostic images

- Diffuse zones of infiltration (e.g., high-grade astrocytoma, anaplastic astrocytoma, glioblastoma), that share various features, including the ability to arise at any location in the CNS (Central Nervous System), but with a preference for the cerebral hemispheres; they occur usually in adults; and an intrinsic tendency to progress to more advanced grades.

People can develop astrocytomas at any age. The low-grade type is more often found in children or young adults, while the high-grade type are more prevalent in adults. Astrocytomas in the base of the brain are more common in young people and account for roughly 75% of neuroepithelial tumors.

The cause is still unknown. Researchers have not found any direct genetic link.

Central neurocytoma, abbreviated CNC, is an extremely rare, ordinarily benign intraventricular brain tumour that typically forms from the neuronal cells of the septum pellucidum. The majority of central neurocytomas grow inwards into the ventricular system forming interventricular neurocytomas. This leads to two primary symptoms of CNCs, blurred vision and increased intracranial pressure. Treatment for a central neurocytoma typically involves surgical removal, with an approximate 1 in 5 chance of recurrence. Central neurocytomas are classified as a grade II tumor under the World Health Organization's classification of tumors of the nervous system.