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".

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.

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.

Fibrillary astrocytomas also called low grade or diffuse astrocytomas, are a group of primary slow growing brain tumors. They typically occur in adults between the ages of twenty and fifty.

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.

A nervous system neoplasm is a tumor affecting the nervous system. Types include:

- Nerve sheath tumor

- Brain tumor

- Arachnoid cyst

- Optic nerve glioma

The most common symptom of the papillary tumor is a headache. Because headaches are so common, most people think nothing of it. This is why brain tumors are so dangerous. There are not a lot of symptoms that go along with them so people tend to wait a long time before seeking medical help. Most of the time people will go see a doctor when their headaches become consistent and start to never go away. This symptom however occurs secondary to hydrocephalus, which is a result from compression of the cerebral aqueduct. The cerebral aqueduct is a narrow channel in the midbrain, which connects the third and fourth ventricles. When a tumor blocks the pathway of the cerebrospinal fluid, this will cause headaches in the patient. Often when hydrocephalus occurs, a shunt is put in place in order to alleviate the pressure. In one case study, an endoscopic third ventriculostomy was performed as a first line procedure to treat the hydrocephalus and also for diagnostic purposes.

In some cases, patients have had progressive diplopia, or double vision. Also, although not in all cases, patients sometimes suffer from nausea and vomiting.

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.

Papillary tumors of the pineal region (PTPR) were first described by A. Jouvet et al. in 2003 and were introduced in the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of Central Nervous System (CNS) in 2007. Papillary Tumors of the Pineal Region are located on the pineal gland which is located in the center of the brain. The pineal gland is located on roof of the diencephalon. It is a cone shaped structure dorsal to the midbrain tectum. The tumor appears to be derived from the specialized ependymal cells of the subcommissural organ. Papillary tumors of the central nervous system and particularly of the pineal region are very rare and so diagnosing them is extremely difficult.

Pain is the most common symptom, followed by either sensorineural or conductive hearing loss, tinnitus or drainage (discharge). A mass lesion may be present, but it is often slow growing.

This tumor only affects the outer 1/3 to 1/2 of the external auditory canal as a primary site. If this area is not involved, the diagnosis should be questioned. The most common tumor type is ceruminous adenoid cystic carcinoma and ceruminous adenocarcinoma, NOS.

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.

Neoplasm is an abnormal growth of tissue which, if it forms a mass, is commonly referred to as a tumor. This abnormal growth (neoplasia) usually but not always forms a mass.

ICD-10 classifies neoplasms into four main groups: benign neoplasms, in situ neoplasms, malignant neoplasms, and neoplasms of uncertain or unknown behavior. Malignant neoplasms are also simply known as cancers and are the focus of oncology.

Prior to the abnormal growth of tissue, as neoplasia, cells often undergo an abnormal pattern of growth, such as metaplasia or dysplasia. However, metaplasia or dysplasia does not always progress to neoplasia. The word is from Ancient Greek νέος- "neo" "new" and πλάσμα "plasma" "formation, creation".

Benign and borderline variants of this neoplasm are rare, and most cases are malignant.

These tumors may have a worse prognosis than serous tumors.

Medulloepithelioma is a rare, primitive, fast-growing brain tumour thought to stem from cells of the embryonic medullary cavity. Tumours originating in the ciliary body of the eye are referred to as embryonal medulloepitheliomas, or diktyomas.

A highly malignant undifferentiated primitive neuroepithelial tumour of children, medulloepithelioma may contain bone, cartilage, skeletal muscle, and tends to metastasize extracranially.

A neoplasm can be benign, potentially malignant, or malignant (cancer).

- Benign tumors include uterine fibroids and melanocytic nevi (skin moles). They are circumscribed and localized and do not transform into cancer.

- Potentially-malignant neoplasms include carcinoma in situ. They are localised, do not invade and destroy but in time, may transform into a cancer.

- Malignant neoplasms are commonly called cancer. They invade and destroy the surrounding tissue, may form metastases and, if untreated or unresponsive to treatment, will prove fatal.

- Secondary neoplasm refers to any of a class of cancerous tumor that is either a metastatic offshoot of a primary tumor, or an apparently unrelated tumor that increases in frequency following certain cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

- Rarely there can be a metastatic neoplasm with no known site of the primary cancer and this is classed as a cancer of unknown primary origin

Medulloepithelioma most commonly affect children between 6 months and 5 years; rarely, this tumour may occur congenitally or beyond this age range. Incidence is equal in males and females.

An odontogenic tumor is a neoplasm of the cells or tissues that initiate odontogenic processes.

Examples include:

- Adenomatoid odontogenic tumor

- Ameloblastoma, a type of odontogenic tumor involving ameloblasts

- Calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumor

- Keratocystic odontogenic tumor

- Odontogenic myxoma

- Odontoma

Typically, they are cystic neoplasms with polypoid masses that protrude into the cyst. On microscopic pathological examination, they are composed of cells with clear cytoplasm (that contains glycogen) and "hob nail" cells (from which the glycogen has been secreted). The pattern may be glandular, papillary or solid.

A germinoma is a type of germ cell tumor, which is not differentiated upon examination. It may be benign or malignant.

Glandular and epithelial neoplasm is a grouping of tumors arising from the glands and epithelium.

An example is adenoma.

The term "germinoma" most often refers to a tumor in the brain that has a histology identical to two other tumors: dysgerminoma in the ovary and seminoma in the testis. Since 1994, MeSH has defined germinoma as "a malignant neoplasm of the germinal tissue of the gonads; mediastinum; or pineal region" and within its scope included both dysgerminoma and seminoma. Collectively, these are the seminomatous or germinomatous tumors.

Malignant transformation to squamous cell carcinoma may occur, but is unusual.

Vascular tissue neoplasms, like neoplasms of all tissues, are classified to benign and malignant ones, according to their biological behavior.

A myxoid liposarcoma is a malignant adipose tissue neoplasm of myxoid appearance histologically.

Myxoid liposarcomas are the second most common type of liposarcoma, representing 30–40% of all liposarcomas in the limbs; occurring most commonly in the legs, particularly the thigh, followed by the buttocks, retroperitoneum, trunk, ankle, proximal limb girdle, head and neck, and wrist. They occur in the intermuscular fascial planes or deep-seated areas. They present as a large, slow-growing, painless mass.

They are associated with a fusion between DDIT3 or "CHOP" (at 12q13.1-q13.2) and FUS or "TLS" (at 16p11.2) or EWS (at 22q12.2).

The specific translocation of FUS-DDIT3 is t(12;16)(q13;p11).