Brain Tumor Facts

• An estimated 700,000 Americans are living with a primary brain tumor
  • Approximately 71% of all brain tumors are benign
  • Approximately 29% of all brain tumors are malignant
  • Approximately 58% of all brain tumors occur in females
  • Approximately 42% of all brain tumors occur in males
• An estimated 88,970 people will receive a primary brain tumor diagnosis in 2022
  • An estimated 63,040 will be non-malignant (benign)
    • Meningiomas are the most commonly occurring primary non-malignant brain tumors, accounting for 39% of all tumors and 54.5% of all non-malignant tumors
  • An estimated 25,930 will be malignant
    • Glioblastoma is the most commonly occurring primary malignant brain tumor, accounting for 14.3% of all tumors and 49.1% of all malignant tumors
• The median age at diagnosis for a primary brain tumor is 61 years
• Males have a 1 in 143 chance of developing brain cancer in their lifetime and a 1 in 188 chance of dying from brain cancer in their lifetime. For females, the chance of developing brain cancer is 1 in 186, with a 1 in 239 chance of dying from the disease
• The average survival rate for all patients with a primary brain tumor is 75.7%
  • Survival rates vary by age and tumor type and generally decrease with age
  • For patients with a non-malignant brain tumor, the average five-year survival rate is 91.8%
  • For patients with a malignant brain tumor, the five-year relative survival rate following diagnosis is 35.6%
    • For the most common form of primary malignant brain tumors, glioblastoma, the five-year relative survival rate is only 6.8% and median survival is only 8 months
• More than 18,200 people are estimated to lose their life because of a malignant brain tumor (brain cancer) in 2022
• There are more than 100 distinct types of primary brain tumors, each with its own spectrum of presentations, treatments, and outcomes

• 13,657 children are estimated to be living with a primary brain tumor in the U.S.
• Approximately 4% of all brain tumors cases diagnosed each year occur in children ages 0-14
• An estimated 4,170 new cases of childhood brain tumors are expected to be diagnosed in 2022
• Brain tumors are the most common solid cancer in children ages 0-14 years
• The five-year relative survival rate for all primary childhood brain tumors is 82.8%
  • For malignant tumors, the five-year survival rate is 74.8%
• Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related death among children ages 0-14 years
• The most prevalent brain tumor types in children are:
  • Pilocytic astrocytoma (18.3%)
  • Glioma, malignant, NOS (14.8%)
  • Embryonal tumors (12.3%)
    • Medulloblastoma (67.7%)
    • AT/RT (17.1%)
    • PNET (8.5%)
• Gliomas account for approximately 51% of tumors in this age group

• Approximately 6% of all brain tumors occur in the pediatric population
  • Approximately 2% of all brain tumors occur in the adolescent (15-19) population of pediatric brain tumor patients
• An estimated 5,900 new cases of pediatric brain tumors will be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2022
• Brain tumors are the most common solid cancer in children and adolescents ages 0-19 years in the U.S.
• The five-year relative survival rate for all primary pediatric brain tumors is 75.6%
• Pediatric brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related death among children and adolescents ages 0-19 years
• The most prevalent brain tumor types in all pediatric patients are:
  • Pilocytic astrocytoma (15.2%)
  • Other gliomas (12.2%)
  • Embryonal tumors (9.4%)
• The most prevalent brain tumor types in adolescents (15-19) are tumors of the pituitary
• Overall, for all primary pediatric brain tumors, incidence rates are higher in females compared to males, and white people compared to other races/ethnicity

• Approximately 31,299 adolescents and young adults (AYA) are estimated to be living with a brain tumor in the U.S.
• Approximately 14.5% of all brain tumors occur in the AYA population
• An estimated 12,072 new cases of AYA brain tumors will be diagnosed in 2022
• Brain tumors are the second most common cancer overall in individuals ages 15-39 years
• Brain tumors are the second leading cause of cancer-related death overall in this age group
• The five-year relative survival rate for AYA patients diagnosed with a primary brain tumor is 90.6%
  • The rate is 71.5% for malignant tumors and 98.2% for non-malignant tumors
• The most common brain tumors in the AYA population are: pituitary tumors, meningiomas, and nerve sheath tumors

• An estimated 72,360 adults age 40+ will be diagnosed with a primary brain tumor in 2022 in the U.S.
• Brain tumors are the eighth-most common cancer overall among persons ages 40+ years
• Brain tumors are the 12th-leading cause of cancer-related death in individuals 40+ years
• The five-year relative overall survival rate for adults diagnosed with a primary brain tumor is 72.2%
  • The rate is 21% for malignant tumors and 90.3% for non-malignant tumors
• The most prevalent brain tumor types in adults are:
  • Meningiomas
  • Gliomas (such as glioblastoma, ependymomas, astrocytomas, and oligodendrogliomas), which make up 81% of malignant brain tumors in adults

• Overall, Black / African American people have slightly higher incidence rates of primary brain and other CNS tumors compared to other races at 24.58 per 100,000 persons in the U.S., followed by:
  • White – 24.24/100,000
  • Hispanic / Latino/a / Latinx – 22.12/100,000
  • Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) – 19.52/100,00
  • American Indian and Alaskan Native (AIAN) – 14.63/100,000
• Incidence rates of non-malignant brain tumors are highest in Black / African American people at 20.14/100,000 persons in the U.S., followed by:
  • White – 16.69/100,000
  • Hispanic / Latino/a / Latinx – 16.35/100,000
  • Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) – 15.12/100,000
  • American Indian and Alaskan Native (AIAN) – 11.08/100,000
• Incidence rates of malignant brain tumors are highest in white people at 7.55/100,000 persons in the U.S., followed by:
  • Hispanic / Latino/a / Latinx – 5.77/100,000
  • Black / African American – 4.44/100,000
  • Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) – 4.4/100,00
  • American Indian and Alaskan Native (AIAN) – 3.54/100,000
• Incidence rates for specific brain tumor types vary**:
  • Incidence rates of glioblastoma are twice as high in white people compared to Black / African American people
  • Incidence rates of meningioma and pituitary tumors are significantly higher in Black / African American people compared to white people
• Black / African American people have poorer survival outcomes compared to white people, with the exception of glioblastoma
• Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) individuals have better survival rates across many tumor types compared to white people, with the exception of choroid plexus tumors
• Hispanic / Latino/a / Latinx ethnicity is associated with improved survival across most tumor types
• Tumors of the pituitary and CNS lymphoma are the only tumor types that were higher in Hispanic / Latino/a / Latinx than in those who are not Hispanic / Latino/a / Latinx

*The U.S. Census Bureau defines race as a person’s self-identification with one or more social groups, which can include white, Black or African American, Asian, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and/or Other Pacific Islander. Federal statistical standards used by the Census and the National Center for Education Statistics, conceptualize a person’s ethnicity into one of two categories: Hispanic (or Latino/a/x) or Not Hispanic (Latino/a/x). A Hispanic (or Latino/a/x) person can self-report as any race.

**While there are several tumor types where significant differences in incidence were observed by race and/or ethnicity, in most cases the actual difference in incidence rates is small and may not be significant. 

• Overall, incidence rates for all primary brain and CNS tumors are higher in females (58% of diagnoses) than in males (42%)
• Non-malignant brain tumors occur significantly more often in females (64%) than in males (36%)
• Malignant brain tumors occur slightly more often in males (56%) than in females (44%)
• Incidence rates for specific brain tumor types vary. For example, glioblastoma diagnoses are more common in males, while meningioma diagnoses are more common in females
• Overall, males have higher mortality rates from malignant brain tumors than females, with the exception of glioblastoma, embryonal tumors, and germ cell tumors

• Unlike other types of cancer, primary brain and other CNS tumors are not staged, but are classified according to the WHO Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System, which assigns a “grade” of 1-4, based on how aggressive the tumor is predicted to behave, clinically
  • Grade 1 tumors are typically non-malignant and the lowest, or least aggressive, grade. While grade 4 tumors, primarily glioblastoma, are the highest and most aggressive grade of tumors
• More than any other cancer, brain tumors can have lasting and life-altering physical, cognitive, and psychological impacts on a patient’s life
• Malignant brain tumors cause an average of 20 Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) for individuals diagnosed as adults, which exceeds most common cancers. Among children ages 0-19 years, brain tumors represent the largest cause of YPLL due to cancer, with a mean YPLL of approximately 80 years [1]
• The incidence rates for brain tumors are highest among individuals ages 85+, and lowest among children and adolescents ages 0-19 years
• Despite the number of brain tumors, and their devastating prognosis, there are only five FDA approved drugs – and one device – to treat brain tumors
  • For many tumor types, surgery and radiation remain the standard of care
• There has never been a drug developed and approved specifically for malignant pediatric brain tumors
• The five approved drugs for brain tumors have provided only incremental improvements to patient survival, and mortality rates remain little changed over the past 30 years
• Each year, approximately 70,000-170,000 cancer patients are diagnosed with brain metastases (metastatic brain tumors/secondary brain tumors), while ~100,000 will die every year as the result of brain metastases
  • The incidence of brain metastases appears to be increasing [2]
  • Several studies have cited that the percentage of cancer patients who will develop brain metastases is anywhere from 6-28%
  • Approximately 80% of cancers have been associated with the ability to metastasize to the brain
    • These include melanoma (where nearly 50% of cases will metastasize to the brain), lung, breast, renal, and colorectal cancers
• Brain tumors represent the highest per-patient initial cost of care for any cancer group, with an annualized mean net cost of care approaching $150,000; and the highest annualized mean net costs for last-year-of-life care, relative to other cancers, at $135,000 to $210,000 (depending on age and sex) per patient [3]