Sparrow Neuropsychology · Vancouver

Brain Tumour Resources

Organisations, information, and support for people living with a brain tumour in BC, Canada

These resources are oriented towards people living with a brain tumour in British Columbia, Canada. This page brings together high-quality information, services, and support for patients and their families. It is intended as a starting point — not a substitute for advice from your own medical team.

A brain tumour is an abnormal growth of cells within the brain or the tissues immediately surrounding it. Brain tumours can be primary — originating in brain tissue itself — or secondary (also called metastatic), meaning they arise when cancer from elsewhere in the body spreads to the brain. Primary tumours may be benign (slow-growing, unlikely to spread) or malignant (faster-growing, more invasive), though in the brain this distinction matters less than in other parts of the body: even a non-malignant tumour can cause serious neurological effects through pressure and displacement.

The most common primary brain tumours in adults are gliomas — tumours arising from glial cells — which include glioblastoma (the most aggressive type) as well as lower-grade astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas. Other common types include meningiomas, pituitary adenomas, and acoustic neuromas. Approximately 10,000 Canadians are diagnosed with a brain or spinal cord tumour each year, and many thousands more receive a diagnosis of brain metastases from another primary cancer.

Brain tumours are unusual among neurological conditions in that treatment itself — surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy — is a significant source of neurological change alongside the tumour. Understanding what the tumour, and what the treatment, has done to the brain is a central concern for most patients and their families.

What a neuropsychological assessment can offer

Brain tumours can affect cognition in ways that vary widely depending on where the tumour is located, how it is treated, and the individual’s neurological reserve. A neuropsychological assessment provides a detailed, objective picture of cognitive functioning that a brief clinical screen cannot — and it offers specific value at multiple points along the brain tumour journey.

An assessment can:

  • Establish a pre-treatment cognitive baseline — before surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy, an assessment creates a documented baseline against which any subsequent changes can be measured; this is especially valuable when treatment will affect areas of the brain involved in language, memory, or executive function
  • Document the cognitive effects of treatment — surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy can all affect cognitive function; a post-treatment assessment maps what has changed, what has been preserved, and the pattern of any difficulties
  • Guide and support neurorehabilitation — understanding the specific profile of cognitive strengths and difficulties allows occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and other rehabilitation professionals to target their work most effectively
  • Distinguish tumour effects from treatment effects — separating what the tumour has done from what treatment has done from what mood difficulties have done is clinically important and often difficult without formal assessment
  • Monitor cognitive change over time — for people living with ongoing brain tumour disease, repeated assessments track cognitive stability or change and can inform treatment decisions
  • Support decisions about work and driving — formal cognitive assessment provides objective evidence for conversations about return to work, workplace accommodations, and driving capacity; in BC, doctors are required to report medical conditions affecting driving to ICBC
  • Evaluate capacity — if questions arise about a person’s ability to make specific medical, financial, or legal decisions, a neuropsychologist can conduct a formal capacity assessment
  • Assist with disability and legal matters — documented neuropsychological assessment provides professionally validated evidence of cognitive functioning for disability applications, insurance claims, and legal proceedings

Your oncologist, neuro-oncologist, neurosurgeon, or GP can refer you for a neuropsychological assessment. You can also contact us directly.

Understanding brain tumours — types and biology

  • What types of brain tumours are there? — The Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada’s guide to the main types of brain tumours — both primary and secondary — with information on characteristics, grading, and what a diagnosis of each type typically means.
  • What are the facts about brain tumours? — The National Brain Tumor Society’s statistical overview of brain tumours: incidence, types, treatment landscape, and prognosis, in clear accessible language.
  • What is known about the causes of brain tumours? — The Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada’s summary of what is and is not known about the causes of brain tumours, including genetic factors, environmental exposures, and what is not yet understood.
  • What are the signs and symptoms of a brain tumour? — The Brain Tumour Charity’s (UK) overview of the signs and symptoms of brain tumours, including headache, seizures, changes in vision, and neurological changes that may prompt investigation.
  • How is a brain tumour diagnosed and treated? — The National Brain Tumor Society’s hub for the diagnostic and treatment process, covering imaging, biopsy, surgical options, radiation, chemotherapy, and emerging therapies.

Cognitive effects of brain tumours

Brain tumours produce cognitive effects through multiple overlapping mechanisms — and understanding these is important both for patients and for those who care for them.

The tumour itself exerts effects through direct tissue destruction, through pressure and displacement of surrounding brain tissue, through disruption of normal brain circuits, and — in those who develop tumour-related seizures — through epileptiform activity. Where the tumour sits in the brain determines a great deal about which cognitive functions are affected: a frontal lobe tumour may produce profound changes in executive function, personality, and social behaviour; a temporal lobe tumour may primarily affect memory and language; a parietal tumour may disrupt spatial reasoning and skilled movement; an occipital tumour may affect visual processing.

Treatment adds a further layer. Neurosurgery — even when successful in removing tumour tissue — involves some degree of disruption to surrounding brain tissue. Radiation to the brain, while effective in controlling tumour growth, can cause both acute cognitive effects and, with certain treatment regimes, delayed cognitive changes that emerge months or years later. Chemotherapy is associated with a syndrome of cognitive slowing, memory difficulties, and reduced concentration that patients sometimes describe as “chemo brain” or “brain fog.” Steroids, commonly used to reduce tumour-related swelling, can also affect mood, memory, and cognitive clarity.

Finally, mood difficulties — particularly depression and anxiety, which are very common in people with brain tumours — independently impair attention, concentration, processing speed, and memory. It is often not possible to know, without formal assessment, how much of the cognitive picture is driven by the tumour, how much by treatment, and how much by mood.

Common cognitive difficulties in brain tumours include:

  • Fatigue-related cognitive effects — cognitive fatigue is among the most commonly reported complaints after brain tumour treatment; the mental effort required for everyday tasks can be significantly greater than before, and concentration may fade rapidly
  • Memory difficulties — both learning new information and retrieving what has been previously learned can be affected; this is often the change that patients and families notice most
  • Executive function — difficulty with planning, organising, prioritising, and mentally flexible problem-solving, particularly common with tumours or treatment affecting the frontal lobes
  • Processing speed — thinking, responding, and completing tasks more slowly than before; often underestimated but functionally significant
  • Language difficulties — word-finding problems, difficulty reading, or problems with understanding complex language, depending on tumour location and treatment
  • Attention and concentration — difficulty sustaining focused attention, increased distractibility, and problems dividing attention across multiple tasks

  • Personality and behavioural change — changes in emotional expression, social behaviour, impulse control, or personality can occur with frontal lobe involvement, and can be distressing for families even when the person with the tumour has limited awareness of the change

  • What are the cognitive and emotional effects of brain tumours? — The American Brain Tumor Association’s hub for the social, emotional, and cognitive dimensions of living with a brain tumour: what affects cognition, how to manage it, and what support is available.
  • What side effects do brain tumours and their treatment cause? — The Brain Tumour Charity’s detailed guide to the side effects of brain tumours and their treatment, covering fatigue, cognitive changes, physical effects, and mood.
  • What does the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada offer for living with a brain tumour? — BTFC’s hub for life after a brain tumour diagnosis: navigating treatment, cognitive and emotional effects, and the practical challenges of daily life.

A neuropsychological assessment can clarify the pattern of cognitive effects you are experiencing, distinguish the contributions of tumour, treatment, and mood, and provide a baseline for monitoring change. Please contact us or submit a referral if an assessment may be helpful.

Psychological adjustment to a brain tumour

A brain tumour diagnosis is among the most confronting medical events a person can face. The combination of uncertainty about prognosis, the possibility of cognitive change, the disruption of identity and roles, and the demands of complex treatment creates a set of psychological challenges that are significant and often under-addressed.

Depression and anxiety are among the most common complications of brain tumour disease, affecting a substantial proportion of patients — with some studies reporting rates of 30–50% for significant depression or anxiety. These mood difficulties are not merely understandable reactions to a difficult situation: they have neurobiological underpinnings (brain tumours disrupt circuits directly involved in mood regulation), and they are compounded by the cumulative effects of treatment, fatigue, disrupted sleep, and loss of roles and activities.

Fear of recurrence is one of the most persistent psychological burdens for people who have been treated for a brain tumour, particularly those with higher-grade disease. The uncertainty about whether the tumour will return — and the vigilance around symptoms that this can produce — can significantly affect quality of life.

Uncertainty and loss of control are pervasive in the brain tumour experience. The unpredictability of prognosis, the difficulty of understanding a complex and rapidly evolving treatment landscape, and the sense of being subject to forces outside one’s control are psychologically demanding.

Identity and grief are significant for many patients. Brain tumours can change who a person is — in terms of what they can do, how they think, how they feel, and how others relate to them. The losses involved — of cognition, of independence, of professional identity, of certain futures — are real losses, and the emotional response to them deserves acknowledgement and support rather than minimisation.

Existential concerns — questions about meaning, purpose, and mortality — are part of the experience for many people with brain tumours, and particularly those with high-grade disease. Psychological and pastoral support specifically oriented towards existential wellbeing can be valuable.

Impact on partners and families

Brain tumours change the lives of everyone close to the person affected. Partners, family members, and close friends often take on caring roles that may include managing complex medical information, supporting someone whose personality or cognitive function has changed, and managing the household and family while also carrying their own fear and grief.

The cognitive and personality changes that can accompany brain tumours are often among the most challenging aspects for families. A partner or family member who experiences their loved one as different — less emotionally present, more irritable, more disinhibited, or less able to manage the roles they previously held — faces a grief that is complicated by the fact that the person is still physically present. This ambiguous loss is often poorly understood by others.

Carers of people with brain tumours report high rates of psychological distress, social isolation, and burnout. Their own wellbeing is important in its own right — and also directly affects the quality of care they can provide. Many carers are reluctant to seek support for themselves while their partner or family member is unwell, and this delay often compounds the toll.

Children and young people in families where a parent has a brain tumour face their own particular set of challenges — and benefit from support that takes their developmental stage, their level of understanding, and their specific fears seriously.

Common concerns

People living with a brain tumour — and their families — often share similar questions and worries. Some of the most common:

  • What is my prognosis? Prognosis in brain tumours varies enormously depending on the type, grade, location, and molecular characteristics of the tumour, as well as on treatment response. Your neuro-oncologist is the best person to discuss your specific situation. It is reasonable to ask direct questions and to seek a second opinion.
  • Why do I feel so mentally foggy? Cognitive changes after brain tumour treatment are extremely common and can involve a combination of direct tumour effects, surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, fatigue, medications, and mood. A neuropsychological assessment can help clarify what is driving the difficulties and what might help.
  • Will my cognitive difficulties get better? Some cognitive changes after brain tumour treatment do improve with time, rest, and targeted rehabilitation. Others are more persistent. The pattern and trajectory depend on many factors specific to your situation. Neurorehabilitation — and in some cases neuropsychological assessment — can provide a more precise answer.
  • Can I still drive? Driving after a brain tumour diagnosis depends on the nature of the tumour, the effects of treatment, whether seizures have occurred, and the current status of your neurological functioning. In BC, your doctor is required to report medical conditions affecting driving to ICBC. A formal on-road evaluation, supported by neuropsychological assessment, can provide objective evidence for this decision.
  • Can I return to work? Many people return to work after brain tumour treatment, sometimes with modifications. The timeline and whether modifications are needed depends on the specific cognitive and physical demands of your job and your current functional status. A neuropsychological assessment provides documented evidence for workplace accommodation conversations and for disability applications where return to work is not possible.
  • Why has my family member’s personality changed? Personality and behavioural changes are common with brain tumours, particularly those affecting the frontal lobes. These changes reflect neurological disruption — they are not the person choosing to behave differently. Understanding this does not always make them easier to live with, but it can help families respond with greater patience and seek appropriate support.
  • What do I tell my children? Telling children about a parent’s brain tumour is one of the most difficult aspects of the diagnosis. Age-appropriate honesty, supported by professional guidance if needed, generally serves children better than evasion or minimising. BTFC and ABTA both offer resources specifically for families navigating this conversation.
  • What happens if the tumour comes back? Fear of recurrence is one of the most common psychological challenges for brain tumour survivors. Having a plan — understanding what surveillance involves, knowing who to call, and having psychological support in place — can reduce the sense of helplessness that this fear can produce.
  • What supportive care is available in BC? BC Cancer provides a range of supportive care services including psychosocial support, social work, and palliative care through their centres across the province. Your oncology team can refer you to the relevant services.

Mental health support in BC

Depression, anxiety, and the profound psychological demands of brain tumour disease are among the most treatable aspects of what is otherwise a very difficult experience. Support is available, and seeking it is not a sign of weakness.

Psycho-oncology and BC Cancer supportive care

BC Cancer provides psychosocial oncology services across its centres, including psychological support, social work, and counselling specifically for cancer patients and their families. Ask your oncology team for a referral to BC Cancer Supportive Care — this is the first place to start for mental health support within the cancer care system in BC.

Counsellors and psychologists

A psychologist has completed a doctorate in psychology (PhD or PsyD) and is registered with the College of Psychologists of BC. Psychologists provide therapy, can diagnose mental health conditions, and are qualified to conduct formal psychological assessments — useful when questions about cognition and emotional wellbeing need to be addressed together.

A Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) typically holds a master’s degree in counselling and is registered with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC). RCCs provide therapy and are well-suited for working through fear, grief, adjustment difficulties, and the emotional demands of a serious medical diagnosis.

Both psychologists and RCCs can provide effective, evidence-based therapy. A psychologist may be the better fit if you also need formal cognitive assessment alongside therapy.

To find a psychologist or counsellor in BC:

Most extended health benefit plans cover counselling or psychology sessions up to a set dollar amount per year. Check with your benefits provider or HR advisor before your first appointment.

Psychiatrists

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor (MD) who has completed specialist training in mental health. Like psychologists, psychiatrists can diagnose mental health conditions — and unlike psychologists and counsellors, they can also prescribe medication. They typically work alongside a GP or therapist rather than replacing them.

Depression after a brain tumour has biological underpinnings as well as psychological ones: brain tumours disrupt circuits involved in mood regulation, and some anti-seizure medications can also affect mood. A proper psychiatric assessment is therefore particularly valuable in this context, as the relationship between mood, cognition, and neurological disease is complex, and medication choices should be made with this in mind.

To access a psychiatrist in BC, ask your family doctor or oncologist for a referral. You can also call HealthLink BC (8-1-1) for guidance on mental health services in your region.

Other BC mental health resources

Living with a brain tumour

Support groups in BC and Canada

Connecting with others who understand what you are living with — whether you are a patient, a survivor, or a family member — can make an enormous difference. Brain tumour support groups exist across BC and nationally.

Podcasts

  • Beyond Brain Tumours Podcast — The Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada’s podcast series, featuring patients, families, clinicians, and researchers discussing diagnosis, treatment, living with a brain tumour, research advances, and the emotional dimensions of the condition. One of the most directly relevant podcasts available for Canadians.
  • ABTA Webinars and Education — The American Brain Tumor Association’s library of recorded webinars featuring neuro-oncologists, researchers, and allied health professionals on specific tumour types, treatments, cognitive effects, quality of life, and caregiving.
  • BTFC Educational Videos — The Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada’s library of educational videos covering malignant and non-malignant tumours, treatment options, rehabilitation, and personal stories of living with a brain tumour.
  • All in the Mind — BBC Radio 4 — Long-running, award-winning BBC Radio 4 podcast hosted by psychologist Claudia Hammond, exploring mental health, neuroscience, and brain conditions — with episodes relevant to brain tumours, cognitive change, and psychological adjustment.
  • All In The Mind — ABC Radio National — ABC Australia’s weekly podcast on the mind, brain, and behaviour, with episodes covering neurological conditions, cognitive change, grief, and mental health.

Brain tumour organisations in BC and Canada

In British Columbia

  • Who provides brain tumour care in BC? — BC Cancer is the provincial cancer agency providing diagnosis, treatment, and supportive care for cancer patients across BC, including those with brain tumours, through centres in Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, Surrey, Abbotsford, and Prince George.
  • What does HealthLink BC offer for brain tumour patients? — HealthLink BC’s health information and navigator service, accessible by calling 8-1-1, provides guidance on brain tumour resources, health services, and support available in your area.

Across Canada

  • What is the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada? — The Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada is the country’s national brain tumour organisation, providing support programs, a national helpline, educational resources, and research funding for the approximately 10,000 Canadians diagnosed with a brain or spinal cord tumour each year.
  • What resources and support tools does BTFC provide? — BTFC’s collection of support tools and guides for patients and families navigating life with a brain tumour, covering emotional wellbeing, practical needs, and navigating the healthcare system.

International

  • What does the National Brain Tumor Society offer? — The National Brain Tumor Society (US) is one of the most comprehensive brain tumour resources available, combining research funding, patient education, advocacy, and direct support services.
  • What does the American Brain Tumor Association offer? — The American Brain Tumor Association is a leading source of patient-oriented brain tumour information, providing tumour-type-specific resources, a helpline, webinars, and support group connections.
  • What does The Brain Tumour Charity offer? — The Brain Tumour Charity (UK) is one of the most active brain tumour charities in the world, providing high-quality information across all aspects of brain tumour disease alongside research funding and advocacy.
  • What does Brainstrust offer? — Brainstrust (UK) focuses on coaching, peer support, and empowerment for people living with brain tumours, offering resources and one-to-one support accessible to anyone, anywhere.

If you are interested in a neuropsychological assessment — whether for a pre-treatment cognitive baseline, post-treatment evaluation, monitoring of cognitive change, or capacity assessment — please contact us or submit a referral.