(CNN) — Singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow says she has a brain tumor, something she described to CNN on Tuesday as a “bump in the road.”
“Please don’t worry about my ‘brain tumor,’ it’s a noncancerous growth. I know some folks can have problems with this kind of thing, but I want to assure everyone I’m OK,” she wrote on her Facebook page.
Crow, a breast cancer survivor, spoke to CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta, a practicing neurosurgeon, about the diagnosis.
She told him the tumor was discovered months ago. Crow doesn’t need surgery but will have periodic scans to monitor the growth, she told Gupta.
According to the singer’s representative, Crow was diagnosed with meningioma, a common type of brain tumor. Elizabeth Taylor had one; so did Mary Tyler Moore, said Gupta.
Between 6,500 and 10,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with a meningioma each year. Approximately 85% of those are non-cancerous, according to Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Meningiomas represent about one-third of all primary brain tumors and are most frequently found in middle-aged women, the American Brain Tumor Association’s website states. Although they’re known as brain tumors, they actually don’t grow in the brain. Meninges are the thin layers of tissue that protect the brain and the spinal cord under the skull.
Symptoms often include headaches that worsen over time, hearing loss, changes in vision and memory loss. Crow says she went to her doctor after forgetting the lyrics to her hit song “Soak Up the Sun” while performing.
Depending on their size, some people will have their tumors removed right away. Some, like Crow, take the wait-and-see approach, while others might never need an operation or treatment.
“Really appreciate everyone’s love and concern, I feel so blessed to have the support of all my fans, but I’m good — really!” wrote Crow.
