Brain cancer symptoms

Symptoms depend on where the tumour is in the brain and how slowly or quickly the tumour is growing. It can develop suddenly or gradually over time.

Many symptoms are likely to be caused by other factors, but see your doctor about any new, persistent or worsening symptoms.

Learn more about:

General symptoms
Symptoms caused by the position of the tumour
Video: Symptoms and symptom management for brain cancer

General symptoms

Brain tumours can increase pressure inside the skull (known as intracranial pressure). Pressure can build up because the tumour itself is taking up too much space or because it is blocking the flow of cerebrospinal fluid around the brain.

This increased pressure can lead to symptoms such as:

headaches – often worse when you wake up
nausea and vomiting – often worse in the morning or after changing position (e.g. moving from sitting to standing)
confusion and irritability
blurred or double vision
seizures (fits) – might have some jerking or twitching of your hands, arms or legs, or can affect the whole body
loss of consciousness
weakness in parts of the body
drowsiness – a later symptom.

Symptoms caused by the position of the tumor

Other symptoms depend on where the tumour is located in the brain or spinal cord – see below for more on this.

Common tumour symptoms

The type of symptoms you experience will depend on where the tumour is in the brain. See above for general symptoms caused by pressure in the skull.

Part of the brain	Symptom
Frontal lobe	difficulty with planning or organising changes in behaviour, personality and social skills depression or mood swings weakness in part of the face, or on one side of the body difficulty walking loss of sense of smell sight or speech problems trouble finding the right word
Parietal lobe	problems with reading or writing loss of feeling in part of the body difficulty telling left from rightdifficulty locating objects (spatial awareness)
Temporal lobe	forgetting events and conversations difficulty understanding what is said to you trouble learning and remembering new information seizures with strange feelings, smells or deja vu
Occipital lobe	loss of all or some vision
Cerebellum	coordination and balance problems uncontrolled eye movement stiff neck dizziness difficulty speaking (staccato speech)
Spinal cord	back and neck pain numbness or tingling in the arms or legschange to muscle tone in the arms or legs clumsiness or difficulty walking loss of bowel or bladder control (incontinence)
Pituitary gland	headachesloss of vision (often peripheral vision) nausea or vomiting erection problems less interest in sex thyroid and other hormone changes
Brain stem	coordination problems difficulty swallowing or speaking double vision facial weakness and numbness weakness and fatigue changes to sleep/wake patterns
Meninges	headaches vomiting weakness in arms or legs personality changes or confusion

Video: Symptoms and symptom management for brain cancer

Learn more about some of the common symptoms of brain cancer, including seizures, and personality and behavioural changes, and how to manage these.

This information was last reviewed in July 2020. View who reviewed this content.

A/Prof Andrew Davidson, Neurosurgeon, Macquarie University Hospital, NSW; Dr Lucy Gately, Medical Oncologist, Oncology Clinics Victoria, and Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, VIC; Melissa Harrison, Allied Health Manager and Senior Neurological Physiotherapist, Advance Rehab Centre, NSW; Scott Jones, Consumer; Anne King, Neurology Cancer Nurse Coordinator, Health Department, WA; Dr Toni Lindsay, Senior Clinical Psychologist and Allied Health Manager, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, NSW; Elissa McVey, Consumer; Caitriona Nienaber, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council WA; Dr Claire Phillips, Deputy Director, Radiation Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC.

View the Cancer Council NSW editorial policy.