Survival for brain tumours
Survival for brain and spinal cord tumours depends on different factors. So no one call tell you exactly how long you will live.
These are general statistics based on large groups of people. Remember, they can’t tell you what will happen in your individual case.
Your doctor or specialist nurse can give you more information about your own outlook (prognosis).
You can also talk about this with the Cancer Research UK nurses on freephone 0808 800 4040, from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Survival is different for adults and children with brain and spinal cord tumours. This page is for adults with cancerous (malignant) and non cancerous (benign) brain tumours.
We have separate information about survival for children with brain tumours.
About these statistics
The terms 1 year survival and 5 year survival don't mean that you will only live for 1 or 5 years.
The NHS, other health organisations, and researchers collect information. They watch what happens to people with cancer in the years after their diagnosis. 5 years is a common time point to measure survival. But some people live much longer than this.
5 year survival is the number of people who have not died from their cancer within 5 years after diagnosis.
What affects survival
Brain tumours are quite rare and there are many different types. Survival depends on many factors.
Type of tumour
Different types of brain tumours respond differently to treatment. Some respond better to radiotherapy than others, for example. Some types are likely to spread into the surrounding brain tissue or down the spinal cord. This might make them difficult to remove with surgery.
Grade of the tumour
The grade is one of the most important factors for some types of tumours. But for others, the grade is much less likely to predict how the tumour might behave. Generally, fast growing (high grade) tumours are much more likely to come back after treatment than slow growing (low grade) tumours.
Biomarkers
Your doctor looks to see if there are certain gene changes in the cells of some types of brain tumours. These tests are also called
or molecular studies.
The results of these tests help the doctors work out how your tumour might behave. They also help them see how likely it is that the tumour will respond to treatment.
Position in the brain
The type of treatment you have might depend on where the tumour is in your brain. For example, surgery is the main treatment for most types of brain tumour. But some parts of the brain are more difficult to operate on than others. These include areas near the nerves that control your sight (optic nerves), the brain stem, spinal cord, or areas close to major blood vessels.
Sometimes the tumour may be in an area where it isn't possible for doctors to operate on. For tumours in these areas, radiotherapy or chemotherapy may be better options for treatment.
Size or shape of the brain tumour
It might be more difficult to remove large tumours, or those where the edge of the tumour is not clear. Small, firm and rounded tumours are easier to remove. It is also easier for surgeons to remove tumours that start in the lining of the brain and spinal cord.
Age and general health at diagnosis
Your prognosis is better if you are younger than 40. Your general health can also affect your prognosis. If you are very fit and healthy, you are likely to recover quicker from treatment.
Survival for all types of cancerous (malignant) primary brain tumour
Generally for people with a cancerous (malignant) brain tumour in England:
- more than 40 out of 100 people (more than 40%) survive their cancer for 1 year or more
- almost 15 out of 100 people (almost 15%) survive their cancer for 5 years or more
Cancer survival in England, cancers diagnosed 2016 to 2020, followed up to 2021
NHS England
These figures are for people diagnosed with a primary brain tumour in England between 2016 and 2020.
These statistics are for net survival. Net survival estimates the number of people who survive their cancer rather than calculating the number of people diagnosed with cancer who are still alive. In other words, it is the survival of cancer patients after taking into account that some people would have died from other causes if they had not had cancer.
Survival for the different types of malignant brain tumours
The following statistics are for different types of brain tumours that can be cancerous (malignant).
Please note, some of the tumours included in the list below can also be non cancerous (benign).
Doctors use a system to group (classify) brain tumours into different types. The World Health Organisation (WHO) regularly updates this system. Doctors have changed how they group some brain tumour types following the latest WHO classification in 2021.
These updates can make it challenging to present survival statistics. The available survival data is based on patients diagnosed using older classification systems. It takes time for doctors to start using the new classification systems. And cancer registries also need to update their data collection systems.
The way doctors classify astrocytomas and glioblastomas has changed. The survival data below is for patients diagnosed using an older WHO classification system. Your doctor or specialist nurse can help you understand which statistics are most relevant for your situation.
Below, we provide statistics for:
- grade 2 astrocytoma, which is sometimes called diffuse astrocytoma
- grade 3 astrocytoma, which is sometimes called anaplastic astrocytoma
- glioblastoma (which used to be called grade 4 astrocytoma)
The following statistics are from a large international study. This collected survival statistics for people in 59 different countries including the UK. The study looked at people diagnosed with brain tumours between 2000 and 2014. The following figures are for people in the UK, diagnosed between 2010 and 2014:
For diffuse astrocytoma (grade 2 astrocytoma):
- 45 out of 100 people (45%) survive their brain tumour for 5 years or more
For anaplastic astrocytoma (grade 3 astrocytoma):
- more than 20 out of 100 people (more than 20%) survive their brain tumour for 5 years or more
For glioblastoma:
- more than 5 out of 100 people (more than 5%) survive their brain tumour for 5 years or more
CONCORD Working Group. Global survival trends for brain tumors, by histology: analysis of individual records for 556,237 adults diagnosed in 59 countries during 2000-2014 (CONCORD-3).
F Girardi and others
Neuro Oncology, 2023 Volume 25, Issue 3, Pages 580-592
These statistics are for Net survival. Net survival estimates the number of people who survive their cancer rather than calculating the number of people diagnosed with cancer who are still alive. In other words, it is the survival of cancer patients after taking into account that some people would have died from other causes if they had not had cancer.
The following statistics come from the Central Brain Tumour Registry of the United States (CBTRUS). This report looked at children and adults diagnosed with a brain tumour in America between 2014 and 2018.
Please be aware that due to differences in health care systems, data collection and the population, these figures are not a true picture of survival in the UK.
For all types of ependymoma in the brain and spinal cord:
- around 90 out of 100 people (around 90%) survive their cancer for 5 years or more
- more than 85 out of 100 people (more than 85%) survive their cancer for 10 years or more
Ependymomas can be cancerous (malignant) or not cancerous (benign).
For malignant ependymomas:
- around 85 out of 100 people (around 85%) survive their brain tumour for 5 years or more
For benign ependymomas:
- around 95 out of 100 people (around 95%) survive their brain tumour for 5 years or more
CBTRUS Statistical Report: Primary Brain and Other Central Nervous System Tumors Diagnosed in the United States in 2014-2018
Q Ostrom and others
Neuro Oncology 2021, Volume 23, Issue 12, Supplement 2, Pages 1 -105
These statistics are for relative survival. Relative survival takes into account that some people die of causes other than cancer. This gives a more accurate picture of cancer survival.
The following statistics are from a large international study. This collected survival statistics for people with brain tumours in 59 different countries including the UK. The study looked at people diagnosed between 2000 and 2014. The following figures are for people in the UK, diagnosed between 2010 and 2014:
For all grades of oligodendroglioma:
- almost 55 out of 100 people (almost 55%) survived their brain tumour for 5 years or more
CONCORD Working Group. Global survival trends for brain tumors, by histology: analysis of individual records for 556,237 adults diagnosed in 59 countries during 2000-2014 (CONCORD-3).
F Girardi and others
Neuro Oncology 2023, Volume 25, Issue 3, Pages 580-592
These statistics are for Net survival. Net survival estimates the number of people who survive their cancer rather than calculating the number of people diagnosed with cancer who are still alive. In other words, it is the survival of cancer patients after taking into account that some people would have died from other causes if they had not had cancer.
Meningiomas can start in the brain or the spinal cord. Most meningiomas start in the brain (cranial meningiomas).
Doctors group meningiomas into groups based on how quickly they are likely to grow (the grade). Most meningiomas are grade 1 or grade 2. These are non cancerous (benign) tumours. They can also be grade 3 but this is rare. Grade 3 tumours are cancerous (malignant).
There are no UK wide survival statistics for meningioma. The information below is from people diagnosed with a cranial (brain) meningioma in England between 1999 and 2013:
- almost 70 out of 100 people (almost 70%) with a grade 1 or grade 2 brain meningioma survive their cancer for 10 years or more
- around 40 out of 100 people (around 40%) with a grade 3 brain meningioma survive their cancer or 10 years or more
Epidemiology of Meningiomas in England
T Karabatsou and others
On behalf of the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS)
These statistics for people with meningioma are for relative survival. Relative survival takes into account that some people die of causes other than cancer. This gives a more accurate picture of cancer survival.
Embryonal tumours develop from cells that are leftover from the early stages of our development. Until recently, doctors talked about embryonal tumours as primitive neuro ectodermal tumours (PNETs). There are different types of embryonal tumours including medulloblastomas and neuroblastomas.
There are no UK wide statistics for survival for these tumours. The following statistics are from the Central Brain Tumour Registry of the United States (CBTRUS). This report looked at children and adults diagnosed with a brain tumour in America between 2014 and 2018.
Please be aware that due to differences in health care systems, data collection and the population, these figures are not a true picture of survival in the UK.
For embryonal tumours in people aged 15 to 39:
- around 70 out of 100 people (around 70%) survive their brain tumour for 5 years or more
- 60 out of 100 people (60%) survive their brain tumour for 10 years or more
For embryonal tumours in people aged 40 or older:
- 45 out of 100 people (45%) survive their brain tumour for 5 years or more
- more than 35 out of 100 people (more than 35%) survive their brain tumour for 10 years or more
CBTRUS Statistical Report: Primary Brain and Other Central Nervous System Tumors Diagnosed in the United States in 2014-2018
Q Ostrom and others
Neuro Oncology 2021, Volume 23, Issue 12, Supplement 2, Pages 1 to 105
These statistics are for relative survival. Relative survival takes into account that some people die of causes other than cancer. This gives a more accurate picture of cancer survival.
There are many types of tumours that start in the pineal region. The outlook for these tumours depends on the type of tumour you have.
There are no UK statistics for survival for these tumours. The following statistics come from the Central Brain Tumour Registry of the United States (CBTRUS). This report looked at children and adults diagnosed with a brain tumour in America between 2014 and 2018.
Please be aware that due to differences in health care systems, data collection and the population, these figures are not a true picture of survival in the UK.
For all pineal region tumours:
- 80 out of 100 people (80%) survive their brain tumour for 5 years or more
- almost 75 out of 100 people (almost 75%) survive their brain tumour for 10 years or more
Pineal region tumours can be cancerous (malignant) or non-cancerous (benign).
For malignant pineal region tumours:
- almost 75 out of 100 people aged 15 to 39 (almost 75%) survive their brain tumour for 5 years or more
- 70 out of 100 people aged 40 or older (70%) survive their brain tumour for 5 years or more
For benign pineal region brain tumours:
- more than 95 out of 100 people aged 15 to 39 (more than 95%) survive their brain tumour for 5 years or more
- more than 85 out of 100 people aged 40 or older (more than 85%) survive their brain tumour for 5 years or more
CBTRUS Statistical Report: Primary Brain and Other Central Nervous System Tumors Diagnosed in the United States in 2014-2018
Q Ostrom and others
Neuro Oncology 2021, Volume 23, Issue 12, Supplement 2, Pages 1 to 105
These statistics are for relative survival. Relative survival takes into account that some people die of causes other than cancer. This gives a more accurate picture of cancer survival.
There are different types of spinal cord tumours. The most common types are meningiomas, tumours of the spinal nerves and ependymomas. Spinal cord tumours can be cancerous (malignant) or non cancerous (benign). Benign tumours have a better prognosis than malignant tumours.
There are no statistics in the UK for survival of all types of spinal cord tumours. The following statistics come from the Central Brain Tumour Registry of the United States (CBTRUS). This report looked at children and adults diagnosed with a brain and spinal tumour in America between 2014 and 2018.
Please be aware that due to differences in health care systems, data collection and the population, these figures are not a true picture of survival in the UK.
Generally, for people with malignant and benign spinal cord tumours:
- almost 95 out of 100 people (almost 95%) survive their spinal cord tumour for 5 years or more
- around 90 out of 100 people (around 90%) survive their spinal cord tumour for 10 years or more
CBTRUS Statistical Report: Primary Brain and Other Central Nervous System Tumors Diagnosed in the United States in 2014-2018
Q Ostrom and others
Neuro Oncology 2021, Volume 23, Issue 12, Supplement 2, Pages 1 to 105
These statistics are for relative survival. Relative survival takes into account that some people die of causes other than cancer. This gives a more accurate picture of cancer survival.
Lymphoma of the brain or spinal cord is also known as primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma.
There are no UK statistics for primary CNS lymphoma survival. The following statistics come from the Central Brain Tumour Registry of the United States (CBTRUS). This report looked at children and adults diagnosed with a brain tumour in America between 2014 and 2018.
Please be aware that due to differences in health care systems, data collection and the population, these figures are not a true picture of survival in the UK.
For primary CNS lymphoma:
- almost 40 out of 100 people (almost 40%) survive their lymphoma for 5 years or more
- around 30 out of 100 people (around 30%) survive their lymphoma for 10 years or more
CBTRUS Statistical Report: Primary Brain and Other Central Nervous System Tumors Diagnosed in the United States in 2014-2018
Q Ostrom and others
Neuro Oncology 2021, Volume 23, Issue 12, Supplement 2, Pages 1 to 105
These statistics are for relative survival. Relative survival takes into account that some people die of causes other than cancer. This gives a more accurate picture of cancer survival.
Survival for different types of non cancerous (benign) brain tumours
The following statistics are for brain tumours that are usually non cancerous (benign):
Vestibular schwannoma is the most common type of non cancerous (benign) nerve sheath tumour. Survival statistics are available for nerve sheath tumours, from the Central Brain Tumour Registry of the United States (CBTRUS). This report looked at people diagnosed with a brain tumour in America between 2014 and 2018.
Please be aware that due to differences in health care systems, data collection and the population, these figures are not a true picture of survival in the UK.
For benign nerve sheath tumours:
- 99 out of 100 (99%) people survive their tumour for 5 years or more
CBTRUS Statistical Report: Primary Brain and Other Central Nervous System Tumors Diagnosed in the United States in 2014-2018
Q Ostrom and others
Neuro Oncology 2021, Volume 23, Issue 12, Supplement 2, Pages 1 to 105
These statistics for adults with benign nerve sheath tumours, diagnosed between 2001 and 2017. They are for relative survival. Relative survival takes into account that some people die of causes other than cancer. This gives a more accurate picture of cancer survival.
Most pituitary tumours are non cancerous (benign). Benign pituitary gland tumours are also called pituitary adenomas.
There are no UK survival statistics for these tumours. The following statistics come from the Central Brain Tumour Registry of the United States (CBTRUS). This report looked at children and adults diagnosed with a brain tumour in America between 2014 and 2018.
Please be aware that due to differences in health care systems, data collection and the population, these figures are not a true picture of survival in the UK.
For all pituitary gland tumours:
- more than 95 out of 100 people (more than 95%) survive their brain tumour for 5 years or more
- 95 out of 100 people (95%) survive their brain tumour for 10 years or more
CBTRUS Statistical Report: Primary Brain and Other Central Nervous System Tumors Diagnosed in the United States in 2014-2018
Q Ostrom and others
Neuro Oncology 2021, Volume 23, Issue 12, Supplement 2, Pages 1 to 105
These statistics are for relative survival. Relative survival takes into account that some people die of causes other than cancer. This gives a more accurate picture of cancer survival.
Haemangioblastomas are rare slow growing tumours. The following statistics come from the Central Brain Tumour Registry of the United States (CBTRUS). This report looked at children and adults diagnosed with a brain tumour in America between 2014 and 2018.
Please be aware that due to differences in health care systems, data collection and the population, these figures are not a true picture of survival in the UK.
Haemangioblastomas are a type of haemangioma. For haemangiomas:
- 95 out of 100 people (95%) survive their tumour for 5 years or more
- almost 95 out of 100 people (almost 95%) survive their tumour for 10 years or more
CBTRUS Statistical Report: Primary Brain and Other Central Nervous System Tumors Diagnosed in the United States in 2014-2018
Q Ostrom and others
Neuro Oncology 2021, Volume 23, Issue 12, Supplement 2, Pages 1 to 105
These statistics are for relative survival. Relative survival takes into account that some people die of causes other than cancer. This gives a more accurate picture of cancer survival.
Craniopharyngiomas are tumours that grow near the base of the brain. These tumours do not usually spread and have a good prognosis.
The following statistics come from the Central Brain Tumour Registry of the United States (CBTRUS). This report looked at children and adults diagnosed with a brain tumour in America between 2014 and 2018.
Please be aware that due to differences in health care systems, data collection and the population, these figures are not a true picture of survival in the UK.
For craniopharyngiomas:
- around 85 out of 100 people (around 85%) survive their tumour for 5 years or more
- 80 out of 100 people (80%) survive their tumour for 10 years or more
CBTRUS Statistical Report: Primary Brain and Other Central Nervous System Tumors Diagnosed in the United States in 2014-2018
Q Ostrom and others
Neuro Oncology 2021, Volume 23, Issue 12, Supplement 2, Pages 1 to 105
These statistics are for relative survival. Relative survival takes into account that some people die of causes other than cancer. This gives a more accurate picture of cancer survival.
