Types of CNS Tumors

There are several groups of histologies that occur in the CNS. The tables below were developed based on the 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System (CNS).

See the Solid Tumor Rules and ICD-O-3.2 for a comprehensive list of the different histologies.

Malignant Tumors (/3 behavior)
Grouping Types of Tumors
Gliomas
  • Diffuse astrocytoma and anaplastic astrocytoma (9400-9401, 9410-9411, 9420)
  • Glioblastoma (9440-9442, 9445)
  • Diffuse midline glioma, H3 K27-mutant (9385)
  • Oligodendroglioma (9450, 9451)
  • Oligoastrocytoma (9382)
  • Oligoastrocytoma (9382)
  • Other astrocytic tumors (9384, 9400, 9401, 9421, 9424-9425)
  • Astroblastoma (9430)
  • Ependymal tumors (9391-9393, 9396)
  • Glioma, unspecified (9380)
  • Other (9381, 9383, 9394-9395, 9397-9399, 9402-9409, 9412-9419, 9422-9423, 9426-9429, 9431-9439, 9443-9444, 9446-9449, 9452-9460)
Embryonal tumors 8963, 9364, 9470-9478, 9490, 9500-9502, 9508
Meningiomas 9530, 9538-9539
Choroid plexus tumors 9390
Neuronal and mixed neuronal-glial tumors 9505-9509
Non-malignant Tumors
Grouping Behavior Histologies
Meningiomas 0 9530-9534, 9537
Meningiomas 1 9538-9539
Tumors of the cranial and paraspinal nerves 0 9540, 9550, 9560, 9563, 9571
Tumors of the cranial and paraspinal nerves 1 9560
Ependymal tumors 1 9383, 9394
Choroid plexus tumors 0 9390
Choroid plexus tumors 1 9390
Neuronal and mixed neuronal-glial tumors 0 9413, 9492-9493, 9509
Neuronal and mixed neuronal-glial tumors 1 8693, 9412, 9505-9506, 9509
Mesenchymal, nonmeningothelial tumors 0 8815, 8825, 8830, 8850, 8861, 8880, 8890, 8900, 9120, 9180, 9210, 9220
Mesenchymal, nonmeningothelial tumors 1 8815, 8821, 8825, 9161
Other astrocytic tumors 0 9384
Other astrocytic tumors 1 9431, 9444

For more information on central nervous system histologies, see the Solid Tumor Rules, Malignant CNS and Peripheral Nerves Site-group and Non-Malignant CNS Site-group instructions section: https://seer.cancer.gov/tools/solidtumor/.

The table above is an abbreviated version of the following Brain recode: Brain/CNS - SEER Recode

Updated: September 23, 2026

Suggested Citation

SEER Training Modules: Types of CNS Tumors. U.S. National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute. Cited 24 September 2026. Available from: https://training.seer.cancer.gov.