Mass Lesions of the Brain: A Differential Diagnostic Approach

Abstract

Though not as common as lung cancer, breast cancer, or others, 70,000 new cases of primary brain tumors are diagnosed annually in the USA. There are nearly 700,000 people in the USA living with a brain tumor. Meningiomas represent 34 % of all primary brain tumors, and their prevalence at autopsy is approximately 1 % making them the most common primary brain tumor. Gliomas represent 30 % of all primary brain tumors and 80 % of all primary malignant tumors. There are more than 120 types of brain tumors. Approximately 50 % of solitary tumors discovered in the brain relate to metastatic disease; when multiple tumors are found, metastatic disease is easier to suspect. Finally, there are many disease entities in the brain that simulate the morphology of a neoplasm yet are caused by infection, stroke, demyelination, etc.