28 July 2026 | Santosh Hospitals

Brain tumours are abnormal growths of cells in the brain or in surrounding structures. They are classified as primary, originating in the brain, or secondary (metastatic), arising from cancer elsewhere in the body that has spread to the brain.

Primary tumours include gliomas, meningiomas, pituitary tumours, and acoustic neuromas, among others. Not all are malignant. Meningiomas and acoustic neuromas are often benign and slow-growing, while glioblastoma is the most aggressive primary brain tumour. Secondary brain tumours are more common than primary ones and typically arise from breast, lung, colon, kidney, or melanoma primaries.

Outcome depends significantly on the tumour type, grade, location, and critically how early it is detected and treated.

Early Signs of a Brain Tumour — What to Watch For

These are the specific patterns that should prompt an MRI rather than continued self-management:

● Persistent new headaches that are worse in the morning or when lying flat, and that do not respond to standard pain relief — this pattern is characteristic of raised intracranial pressure

● A first-time seizure in an adult with no prior history of epilepsy — this should be treated as a brain tumour until imaging proves otherwise

● Progressive weakness or numbness affecting one limb or one side of the body, developing over days to weeks

● Changes in speech — word-finding difficulty, slurred speech, or trouble understanding others

● Vision changes — blurred vision, double vision, or loss of peripheral field in one or both eyes

● Balance problems or an unsteady gait that is worsening over time

● Cognitive changes — memory lapses, difficulty concentrating, or personality and behavioural shifts that family members notice before the patient does

● Nausea and vomiting without a gastrointestinal cause, particularly when worse in the morning

When to See a Neurosurgeon — and What Not to Ignore

See a neurosurgeon immediately for:

●  A new seizure in an adult

●  A sudden, severe headache unlike any before

●  Any rapid-onset focal neurological deficit

Book an urgent MRI within 48 hours for:

●  Progressive headaches with morning predominance

●  Any combination of cognitive changes and focal neurological symptoms

Do not dismiss the following:

● Recurring or changing headaches managed only with over-the-counter painkillers need investigation, not suppression

●  A first seizure in an adult requires emergency brain imaging, not a routine neurology appointment

●  Cognitive changes noticed by family members, even if the patient feels relatively well

●  Gradual weakness or speech changes attributed to stress – these are neurological symptoms requiring assessment

●  New headaches or neurological symptoms in anyone with a history of cancer, urgent brain MRI is indicated to exclude metastasis

Why Choose Santosh Hospitals

Santosh Hospitals is a fully equipped brain surgery hospital serving Delhi NCR with advanced neurosurgical and neuro-oncology capability. The neurology and neurosurgery departments work jointly on every brain tumour case, ensuring no treatment decision is made without a multidisciplinary review.

● Advanced MRI, including spectroscopy and perfusion sequences

●  Experienced neurosurgeons with intraoperative navigation capability

●  Neuro-oncology team for post-surgical radiotherapy and chemotherapy planning

●  24×7 neurology emergency and critical care

●  Comprehensive post-treatment rehabilitation including speech therapy and physiotherapy

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Are all brain tumours cancerous?
 No. Many, like meningiomas and acoustic neuromas, are benign and grow slowly. Whether a tumour is malignant depends on its type and grade, confirmed through imaging and biopsy.

Q2. Can brain tumour symptoms come and go rather than steadily worsen?
 Yes, especially early on, which is why they often get dismissed as stress or fatigue. A pattern that keeps returning over weeks still needs imaging, even if it isn't constant.

Q3. Is a normal neurological exam enough to rule out a tumour?
 Not entirely — early tumours can exist with a completely normal exam. Morning-predominant headaches or a first adult seizure justify imaging regardless of how the exam looks.

Q4. How does benign tumour treatment differ from malignant treatment?
 Small, symptom-free benign tumours are sometimes just monitored with periodic MRI, or removed surgically if needed. Malignant tumours usually need surgery plus radiotherapy and chemotherapy on a more aggressive timeline.

Q5. Can brain tumours run in families?
 Most are not hereditary; only a small proportion link to genetic syndromes like neurofibromatosis. Family history alone, without a known syndrome, doesn't significantly raise individual risk.

Q6. Why is a first-time adult seizure treated as an emergency?
 Because in adults, a first seizure carries a meaningfully higher chance of a structural cause, including a tumour, compared to children. This is why it prompts emergency imaging, not a routine follow-up.

Q7. Can vision problems from a tumour be mistaken for an eye condition?
 Yes — pressure or optic pathway involvement can cause blurred or double vision that looks like a primary eye issue. It often takes an eye specialist or neurologist to trace it back to the brain.

Q8. Does every brain tumour show up on a standard MRI?
 Most do, though type and location affect visibility. Additional techniques like spectroscopy or perfusion imaging are sometimes used to characterise a lesion once flagged.

Q9. Can secondary brain tumours appear before the original cancer is found?
 Yes — a brain metastasis can sometimes be the first sign that leads to a cancer diagnosis, particularly with lung cancer. The primary tumour may stay silent while the brain lesion causes symptoms first.

Q10. Do cognitive or personality changes reverse after treatment?
 It depends on tumour location, size, and how long pressure was present. Some improve significantly after surgery, while delayed diagnosis often means only partial recovery.