saw the surgeon

We spoke with the neurosurgeon this evening.  He was very positive, and said Mark is doing great!

We asked him very specifically if we had to worry about this tumor being the kind of "cancer" that could either spread to other parts of his body, or had come from somewhere else.  He immediately and emphatically answered, "No, it's not that kind of a tumor." 
He also said that, barring any random microscopic cells or something, he was able to remove all of the tumor.
So that was reassuring, to say the least!

We also learned that "cancer" isn't really a technical term they use.  It's more accurate to use the word "tumor," and to say that Mark has a "brain tumor."  What's more important is what "grade" it is.  Grade 1 is rare, Grade 2 is what he's pretty sure Mark has (and is what we are "hoping" for), Grade 3 is serious but definitely treatable, and Grade 4 is of course very serious.  On the other hand, he also said that you could say that Grades 1 and 2 could be considered "benign tumors," while Grades 3 and 4 would be "malignant cancer."
I THINK I get it......