What is the difference between benign brain tumors and malignant tumors?

Benign brain tumors:

- Do not invade or spread to surrounding brain tissue.

- Typically grow slowly and have well-defined boundaries.

- Rarely cause neurological symptoms or require treatment.

- Can often be surgically removed without causing neurological damage.

Malignant brain tumors:

- Invade and spread to surrounding brain tissue.

- Typically grow rapidly and do not have well-defined boundaries.

- Usually cause neurological symptoms such as headaches, seizures, and focal neurological deficits.

- Require medical interventions like surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or a combination of these

Benign brain tumors are mostly curable and have minimal adverse long-term effects for patients under treatment, whereas malignant brain tumors are mostly incurable, especially after invading important brain centers responsible for life sustenance of individuals, and the goal of surgery and radiotherapy on those is often for symptoms palliation.