Is an acoustic neuroma a kind of brain cancer?

No: Technically no. Not in the brain, and not cancer. But it often has to be removed through a craniotomy, like some types of brain cancer, and it grows very very close to the brainstem, in one of the hardest to reach areas of the skull base. It is very rare that an acoustic neuroma becomes malignant (cancer), and almost always this is after previous radiation treatment.

Yes: Acoustic neuroma is an encapsulated, benign nerve sheath tumor that primarily occurs in the cerebellopontine angle (a location in the brain). The usual site is the vestibular portion of the 8th cranial nerve. The earliest symptoms of an acoustic neuroma are tinnitus and unilateral, progressive hearing loss. Unsteadiness, not vertigo can also be a common symptom.

No: An acoustic neuroma is a benign tumor, not a cancer.