It is rare for primary brain tumors to spread outside the nervous system, so staging procedures of organs in the rest of the body are not routinely performed.
Certain brain tumors have a tendency to spread not only in the brain but also into the spinal cord. These tumors include lymphomas, medulloblastomas, pinealblastomas, germinomas, ependymomas and tumors of the choroid plexus. When they are diagnosed, staging of the spinal cord is also required. This staging process includes scans of both the brain and spine and a lumbar puncture to obtain cerebrospinal fluid for microscopic evaluation.
When a metastatic tumor of the brain is discovered, a thorough staging of the rest of the body should be performed. Treatment for a patient with a metastatic brain tumor will depend on the extent of spread of the primary tumor .
