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Gene Siskel: Understanding Brain tumors
Gene Siskel had brain surgery in May 1998 and died nine months later. The tumor type was never public, so here is what the term actually covers.
Original commentary from the Cancer Explained editorial team.
Historical context: this page explains an event dated 1999. It was published as an explainer on July 12, 2026 and is not breaking news.
Please note: this page is educational only — it is not medical advice, and it does not speculate about anyone’s health beyond reliable public reporting. For questions about your own health, talk with your healthcare team.
He went back to work between the surgery and the end
Variety reported on February 21, 1999 that Gene Siskel had died the day before at Evanston Hospital in Chicago. He was 53. The cause it gave was complications of a brain tumor, after almost a year of illness.
The same report lays out the sequence. Siskel had surgery in May 1998. Soon afterward he went back to the syndicated television show he made with Roger Ebert. Earlier in February 1999 he announced that he was taking a leave of absence to recover. He died that month.
He had written about film for the Chicago Tribune for nearly thirty years. The thumbs, up or down, were the part everyone remembers.
What was reported, and what never was
Variety names a brain tumor and gives the dates. That is the whole of what we could verify.
The type of tumor was not made public, and neither was its grade. Not every brain tumor is cancer, and this page cannot tell you which kind his was. That gap is worth stating rather than papering over, because the differences between brain tumors are larger than the differences between many separate diseases.
"Brain tumor" is a category, not a diagnosis
A brain tumor is a growth of abnormal cells in or near the brain. The first split is between benign and malignant.
Benign tumors do not spread and grow slowly. A meningioma, which starts in the layers covering the brain, is the common example. They are still serious, because the skull leaves no room. Pressure alone can cause real harm.
Malignant tumors grow into nearby brain tissue and come back more readily. Gliomas, which start in the brain's support cells, are the main group in adults.
There is a third and very common situation. Cancer that began somewhere else, such as the lung or the breast, can spread to the brain. Those are not brain cancer. They are the original cancer in a new place, and they are treated as that cancer.
Why location matters more than size
The brain is not one organ doing one job. A small tumor in the wrong place can take away speech, while a larger one elsewhere causes little at first.
That is why symptoms vary so much. Common ones are headaches that are new or that change in pattern, especially when they are worse in the morning or wake a person up. Seizures in an adult with no history of them. Weakness or numbness on one side. Trouble with speech, balance, or vision. Changes in memory, judgment, or personality that people close to the person notice first.
Almost all headaches are not tumors. The combinations above are what send a doctor toward a scan.
How it is found and treated
An MRI is usually the test that shows the tumor. It cannot say for certain what the tumor is. That takes a tissue sample, either at surgery or through a biopsy, and increasingly a look at the tumor's genes as well. Modern classification depends on those molecular findings, not just on how the cells look.
Treatment starts with surgery when the tumor can be reached safely. The aim is to remove as much as possible while protecting function. Radiation and chemotherapy follow for many malignant tumors. Steroids are often used to reduce swelling around the tumor, which is sometimes what causes the symptoms rather than the growth itself.
Complications matter here in a way they do not in every cancer. Swelling, seizures, blood clots, and the effects of surgery on a working brain are part of what care manages.
What this does not mean
- A benign tumor is not a harmless one, and a malignant one is not a fixed sentence. Type, grade, and location decide.
- Cancer that spreads to the brain is not the same disease as a tumor that starts there.
- Headaches are common. New patterns, seizures, and changes in how someone thinks or moves are the signals doctors act on.
- Nothing here is medical advice or a reason to change your own care.
Sources
- Variety, Feb. 21, 1999: Tribune critic Siskel dies
- National Cancer Institute: Brain Tumors—Patient Version
How this page was made
An AI-assisted editorial system helped prepare this page. This article has not been reviewed by a healthcare professional unless a named reviewer is specifically shown. Cancer Explained is published by the National Cancer Information Foundation as a nonprofit-oriented public-interest education project. It is not a diagnostic service, does not recommend treatments, and is not for emergencies.
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Prevention, possible warning signs, screening, and diagnosis
This story relates to Brain tumors. The information below is general: it does not reveal anything else about a public person’s health, and not every point applies to every cancer. Personal advice depends on age, symptoms, family history, exposures, and medical history.
Prevention and risk reduction
Not every cancer can be prevented. Avoiding tobacco, protecting skin from ultraviolet radiation, limiting alcohol, staying active, and receiving recommended HPV or hepatitis B vaccination can lower the risk of certain cancers. A risk factor is not a prediction or a cause in one individual.
Symptoms and possible early signs
Possible signs vary and are often caused by conditions other than cancer. Changes worth discussing include a new lump, unexplained bleeding or weight loss, a persistent cough, lasting bowel or bladder changes, a changing skin spot, or symptoms that persist or worsen. Some early cancers cause no symptoms.
Screening and early detection
Screening looks for certain cancers before symptoms begin. Recommended tests exist only for some cancers and depend on age and risk. Screening can have benefits and harms; it is not the same as evaluating a new symptom, and there is no single routine scan or blood test that reliably screens for every cancer.
How cancer is diagnosed
Diagnosis may involve a history and exam, imaging, laboratory tests, and often a biopsy. Pathology can identify the cancer type and may test biomarkers that guide treatment. Symptoms, screening results, tumor markers, or online stories alone cannot confirm cancer.
Learn about this story’s cancer topic
A public story may encourage questions, but it should not be used to estimate your risk or choose testing. Contact a healthcare professional about a persistent or concerning change. Seek urgent care for severe or rapidly worsening symptoms.