• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Choose which site to search.
UAMS Health Logo UAMS Health
  • UAMS.edu
  • MyChart
  • Giving
  • Emergency Room
  • COVID-19
  • Types of Care
  • Locations
  • Doctors
  • Patients & Guests
  • Referring Physicians
  • Appointments
  1. UAMS Health
  2. Conditions
  3. Brain Tumors

Condition: Brain Tumors

A brain tumor forms when abnormal cells cluster or grow into a mass in your brain.

There are many types of brain tumors. Some are cancerous (malignant) while others are non-cancerous (benign).

Some tumors begin in your brain (primary brain tumors), or some types of cancer can spread from other parts of your body (metastatic) and form secondary tumors.

Not all tumors grow at the same rate. The location in your brain and the rate of growth are key factors in how the tumor may affect you and your individualized treatment plan.

At UAMS Health our team of neurosurgery specialists meets each week to discuss active cases like yours and plan the best treatment for each person.

Symptoms

The symptoms of having a brain tumor affect each person differently. Some things to watch for include:

  • Confusion in daily tasks or duties
  • Difficulty hearing
  • Gradual loss of sensation or range of motion in an arm or leg
  • Feeling overly tired
  • Headaches that are becoming more frequent or severe
  • Loss of balance
  • Seizures, espcially if you have no history of previous seizures
  • Speech issues
  • Vision issues — blurred, double vision, tunnel vision or blind spots

Causes

Tumors that form in the brain or nearby tissues are called primary tumors. These tumors develop when the DNA in the cells mutate. The mutations tell the cells to grow and divide and to keep growing after a normal, healthy cell would die. This abnormal growth becomes a mass or tumor.

In adults, secondary brain tumors, where cancer cells spread to the brain from other organs, are far more common than tumors that originate in the brain.

The different types of primary brain tumors take their names from the types of cells that are affected. Some examples are:

  • Acoustic neuromas (schwannomas) — Small, benign tumors that grow on the nerves responsible for balance and hearing that connect your inner ear to your brain.
  • Craniopharyngiomas — A tumor that grows near the pituitary gland in your brain. This gland is responsible for making horomones that control many of your body’s different functions. As the tumor grows it can affect the gland and surrounding brain tissues.
  • Germ Cell Tumors — These tumors are most often found in children and grow in the testicles or ovaries. However, Germ Cell Tumors may also appear in other sections of the body, like the brain, abdomen or chest. These tumors may be cancerous or not.
  • Gliomas — A broad category of tumors that may grow in the brain or spinal cord. Some examples of Gliomas include astrocytomas (astro-sai-toe-ma), ependymomas (ep-en-dy-mo-ma), glioblastomas (glee-oh-blast-oh-ma) and oligoastrocytomas (a-li-go-astro-sai-toe-ma).
  • Medulloblastomas — Often found in the lower rear section of the brain, these cancerous tumors commonly spread through spinal fluid. These tumors are more likely to grow in children, but they can appear at any age.
  • Meningiomas — Mostly non-cancerous, these tumors grow on the membranes that surround your brain and spinal cord.
  • Pituitary Adenomas — Unlike the craniopharyngioma that grows near the pituitary gland, these tumors develop inside the pituitary gland itself. These tumors can affect the horomones made in the pituitary gland that may cause issues throughout your body.
Kimberly Kersh — Lung Cancer & Neurosurgery Patient

Contents

  • Treatments & Procedures
  • Providers
  • Locations
  • Areas of Expertise
  • Make an Appointment

Treatments and Procedures Related to Brain Tumors

UAMS providers perform and prescribe a broad range of treatments and procedures, some of which may not be listed below.

  • Awake Craniotomy
  • Brain Tumor Tissue Banking
  • BrainPath Approach for Deep Brain Surgeries
  • Laser Ablation
  • Linear Accelerator
  • Robotized Stereotactic Assistant (ROSA) Robot

Providers Treating Brain Tumors

Note that every provider listed below may not perform or prescribe all treatments or procedures related to Brain Tumors. Review each provider for availability.

Filter the Providers


J. D. Day, M.D.

J. D. Day, M.D. Neurosurgeon

View Profile
Jennifer S. Kleiner, Ph.D.

Jennifer S. Kleiner, Ph.D. Neuropsychologist

View Profile
Damon H. Lipinski, Ph.D.

Damon H. Lipinski, Ph.D. Neuropsychologist

View Profile
Eylem Öcal, M.D.

Eylem Öcal, M.D. Neurosurgeon

View Profile
T. Glenn Pait, M.D.

T. Glenn Pait, M.D. Neurosurgeon

View Profile
Viktoras Palys, M.D.

Viktoras Palys, M.D. Neurosurgeon

View Profile
Erika A. Petersen, M.D.

Erika A. Petersen, M.D. Neurosurgeon

View Profile
Analiz Rodriguez, M.D., Ph.D.

Analiz Rodriguez, M.D., Ph.D. Neurosurgeon

View Profile
Erika Santos Horta, M.D.

Erika Santos Horta, M.D. Neurologist

View Profile

Locations Where Providers Treat Brain Tumors

Note that the treatment of Brain Tumors may not be performed at every location listed below. The list may include locations where the treatment plan is developed during and after a patient visit.

Filter the Locations


Neurosurgery Clinic

Neurosurgery Clinic

501 Jack Stephens Drive
Jackson T. Stephens Spine and Neuroscience Institute
Little Rock, AR 72205

Appointment Phone Number
501-686-5270
New and Returning Patients
View Location Get Directions

Areas of Expertise for Brain Tumors

Doctor holding brain scans

Brain and Spine Cancer Care (Part of Cancer Care)

The Neurosurgical oncology team tackles brain and spinal tumors with a true team approach.

View Area of Expertise
Image of male doctor giving intravenous drip chemotherapy treatment to a female cancer patient.

Cancer Care

The UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute is Arkansas’ most comprehensive cancer treatment and research facility.

View Area of Expertise
Neurosurgeon looking at brain imaging.

Neurosurgery

Our neurosurgeons perform research, multiple clinical trials and are the leaders for simple and complex surgeries not available at other centers in Arkansas.

View Area of Expertise

Make an Appointment

Request an appointment by contacting a clinic directly or by calling the UAMS Health appointment line at (501) 686-8000.

UAMS Health LogoUAMS HealthUniversity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Mailing Address: 4301 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72205
Phone: (501) 686-7000
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy

© 2023 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Please share your location to continue