Brain Tumor Symptoms

Nov. 14, 2025

This page was reviewed under our medical and editorial policy by Keng Lam, M.D., assistant clinical professor, Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research, City of Hope^® Cancer Center Duarte.

Brain tumors are the result of cells in or around the brain growing abnormally and forming a mass. Some people with a brain tumor don’t experience any symptoms, particularly if the tumor is small or in an early stage of development. Others may experience a range of physical or cognitive symptoms.

What Are the Symptoms of a Brain Tumor?

Although some brain tumor patients do not experience any symptoms, other people may experience some of the following common symptoms and signs of a brain tumor.

Seizures: These are caused by interruptions to the brain’s neural pathways and may be the result of a brain tumor. Seizures related to brain tumors may lead to a wide range of physical or cognitive issues, including breathing difficulties, losing consciousness or changes to vision and hearing.

Persistent headaches: These are one of the most common brain tumor symptoms, affecting about half of all brain tumor patients. They’re usually caused by a tumor pressing against the brain. Headaches caused by a brain tumor often do not respond to over-the-counter headache medications.

Nausea and vomiting: Both may result from pressure on the brain or spinal cord caused by a tumor.

Fatigue: This is a common brain tumor symptom, and often goes hand-in-hand with a lack of energy, persistent insomnia and difficulty concentrating.

Changes to cognitive function: These may include memory, language and attention span changes.

Personality or behavioral changes: These may, in some cases, be caused by the effects of a brain tumor pushing on the brain. 

Problems with vision, hearing or muscle control: These may be the result of a tumor exerting pressure on certain nerves inside the brain.

The symptoms of a benign brain tumor are usually similar to the symptoms of malignant brain cancer.

Early Brain Tumor Symptoms

When a brain tumor is small or if it has only just started to grow, a patient may not experience any early signs or symptoms. Regardless of when symptoms do develop, the exact type of symptoms the tumor causes depend on what part of the brain the tumor is in. The brain is made up of four lobes:

• The frontal lobe, which controls a wide range of functions, including walking, some aspects of the body’s senses and parts of the personality
• The temporal lobe, which helps the brain process sound and store memories
• The occipital lobe, which is a key part of how the brain processes images and light
• The parietal lobe, which helps the brain recognize objects

Several glands within the brain may also be affected by brain tumors, including the pineal gland and pituitary gland.

How Long Before Symptoms Appear?

There are many different types of brain tumor, some of which grow faster than others. Depending on which type of brain tumor someone has, symptoms may develop quickly, over the course of weeks, or take months or years to appear.

Brain Tumor Symptoms in Kids

Children and adolescents who develop a brain tumor may experience many of the same symptoms as adults, such as headaches, nausea, fatigue or changes in cognitive function. Some brain tumor symptoms unique to children include an unusually large head circumference (in babies and infants) and delayed puberty (in teens and adolescents).