Brain tumour is an overgrowth of cells, either within the brain or near it in places like nerves, the pituitary gland, and the meninges Brain tumours can be benign (non-cancerous growth or lumps that generally do not spread to other organs/tissues) or malignant (made up of cancerous cells that multiply and spread to neighbouring tissues and organs and sometimes break away and spread to many organs in the body, a process called metastasis).
The prevalence of brain tumours is variable around the world and in India. Approximately 2% of all cancers are brain cancers. The incidence rate globally is approximately 6.2 per 100,000 people per year.
While brain tumours account for a relatively small percentage of overall cancer cases in India, they are a significant cause of mortality, with over 24,000 deaths reported each year.
Brain and spinal cord together are known as the central nervous system (CNS). Brain tumour is an overgrowth of cells, either within the brain or near it in places like nerves, the pituitary gland, and the meninges (sheet like membranes that cover the surface of the brain). Tumours can be benign (non-cancerous growth or lumps that generally do not spread to other organs/tissues) or malignant (made up of cancerous cells that multiply and spread to neighbouring tissues and organs and sometimes break away and spread to many organs in the body, a process called metastasis).
The prevalence of brain tumours is variable around the world and in India. Approximately 2% of all cancers are brain cancers. The incidence rate globally is approximately 6.2 per 100,000 people per year.
In India, round 40,000 to 50,000 new cases are reported annually, with approximately 20% of these occurring in children. While brain tumours account for a relatively small percentage of overall cancer cases in India, they are a significant cause of mortality, with over 24,000 deaths reported each year.
Let’s take a look at the difference between these similar terms:
A brain tumour is an abnormal overgrowth of cells in the brain which do not die when they should and thus may cause dysfunction of the brain.
A brain lesion is any area of the brain that has damaged tissue. Brain lesions can be caused by issues like stroke, injuries, infections like encephalitis/meningitis and malformations of the blood vessels like arteriovenous malformation.
Space Occupying Lesion (SOL) is a general term for any abnormal mass or growth within a confined space like the brain or spinal cord. A tumour is a type of SOL. Some space occupying lesions may also be a hematoma (blood clots after injury), a tuberculoma (tuberculosis mass), abscess or cyst.
Changed
08/Jun/2026
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