Tests for brain tumours

• A quick guide to what's on this page
• At the GP
• The neurological examination (testing how well your nervous system works)
• At the hospital

Usually you begin by seeing your family doctor who will examine you and ask about your general health.

Your doctor will ask you about your symptoms. This will include what they are, when you get them and whether anything you do makes them better or worse.

Your doctor will ask you to have a physical examination. This will include an examination of your nervous system.

This involves a number of simple tests. Your doctor will

• Test your muscle strength by asking you to squeeze their hand with each of yours or push against their hand with your feet
• Test your reflexes, tapping your knee with a rubber hammer
• Look into your eyes to see if there are any changes inside the eye and shine a light at your eyes to see if your pupils react
• Ask you to follow a moving finger with your eyes

Your doctor may also

• Check to see that you have normal sensation (feeling) throughout your body
• Ask about your hearing and sight
• Get you to walk in a straight line or stand on one leg
• Ask you to touch your nose with your finger while your eyes are shut
• Ask you simple questions or ask you to remember a short list for a few minutes and repeat it back
• Ask about your general health, including periods for women, or general growth and development for children

You may think it odd if your doctor asks to examine your breasts, tummy (abdomen) or back passage (rectum). This is because your GP wants to make sure there is no obvious sign of a cancer somewhere else in your body (primary cancer). It is more common for an adult to have a cancer that has spread to the brain from somewhere else (secondary brain tumour) than a tumour that starts in the brain (primary brain tumour), so your doctor will just be checking for this.

After your examination, your doctor will refer you to hospital for tests and X-rays if anything appears to be wrong. Even if your doctor can find nothing wrong, you may still need to have more tests if your symptoms suggest you may have a brain tumour. Your GP may send you directly to a specialist. You may be admitted to hospital so that you can have tests done quickly.

If you see a specialist, you will be asked about your medical history, symptoms and general health. The specialist will then give you another neurological examination. You may have blood tests and a chest X-ray to check your general health. Then your other tests will be arranged in the out patients department. Your specialist may want you to have one or more of the following tests

• A CT scan
• An MRI scan
• X-rays
• Blood tests

CT scan

A CT scan is a computerised scan using X-rays. It is done because a brain tumour will usually show up on this type of scan. When you have your CT, you will have an injection during or just before the scan. This is something called 'contrast medium'. It is a dye that circulates in your bloodstream to the brain and makes the CT pictures of the brain clearer. There is more about having a CT scan in the CancerHelp UK section About Cancer: Tests.

MRI scan

MRI is a scan using magnetism. It usually gives the clearest picture of the brain of any type of scan and will almost certainly show up a brain tumour. You will usually have an injection of contrast medium (see above) to make the MRI scan clearer.

Remember:tell your doctor if you have any metal inside your body as this may mean you cannot have an MRI scan. There is more about having an MRI in the CancerHelp UK section About Cancer Tests.

X-rays and blood tests

You may have X-rays and blood tests to check your general state of health. This will be important if you are diagnosed with a brain tumour because you may need to have surgery or intensive radiotherapy treatment. You may also have blood tests for chemical markers in the blood, if your specialist has seen a possible pineal region tumour on your scan.