Health

Busy Philipps reveals she underwent two brain surgeries for a rare tumor

The actress shared that a full-body scan led to the discovery and removal of a grade 2 oligodendroglioma earlier this year.

Updated Aug 26, 2026 · 19:19 UTC1 reports

The short version

Actress Busy Philipps revealed she was diagnosed with a rare, slow-growing grade 2 oligodendroglioma brain tumor in February.
She underwent a successful five-hour surgery on March 2 to remove the 2.6-centimeter mass, which was discovered after a full-body MRI scan.
Following her recovery, she underwent a second surgery in April to remove infected tissue after developing a staph infection at her incision site.

In a People magazine cover story, actress Busy Philipps revealed she was diagnosed with a grade 2 oligodendroglioma brain tumor in February.[The Hollywood Reporter]
The tumor was discovered via a full-body Prenuvo scan, which Philipps underwent despite having no typical symptoms of a brain tumor.[The Hollywood Reporter]
Philipps almost canceled the scan following the death of her friend and former Dawson's Creek co-star James Van Der Beek, but her ex-husband, Marc Silverstein, encouraged her to go.[The Hollywood Reporter]
On March 2, surgeons successfully removed the 2.6-centimeter mass during a five-hour operation.[The Hollywood Reporter]
Philipps' doctor explained that the tumor is considered malignant because of its potential to regrow over time, but noted it has the best prognosis among malignant gliomas.[The Hollywood Reporter]
In April, a dermatologist noticed an issue with Philipps' surgical incision, which led to a second surgery to treat a staph infection.[The Hollywood Reporter]