Types of Pediatric Brain Cancer

types of pediatric brain cancer via curesearch.org

So a brain tumor is an abnormal collection of cells in the brain and pediatric brain tumor is

different from an adult brain tumor just as kids are not little adults pediatric brain tumors

 differ from adult tumors in size and type and treatment and there are about 2,500 pediatric

brain tumors diagnosed each year in fact pediatric brain tumors are the most common solid

tumor in children there are different types of brain tumors there are benign and malignant

brain tumors a benign tumor or a low-grade tumor behaves differently than a malignant or

high-grade tumor sometimes called the brain cancer and there are multiple different subtypes

of tumors and depending on where the tumor is and the age of the child and the type of tumor

 the symptoms and signs are different one of the most common presentations of a child with

a brain tumor is headache and vomiting and that's because the brain is inside the skull it's in a

closed container and so there's no room for anything else as the tumor grows it can compress

the brain and that can cause headache particularly worrisome is morning headache because our

breathing patterns change and sleep and there's increased blood flow to the brain and that can

cause morning headache that can be a red flag but many kids have headaches and most of the

time that's not related to a brain tumor just as many of these symptoms are not related to a

brain tumor but the kind of symptoms and signs that we look for are changes in vision loss of

vision or double vision seizures irritation of the brain can cause seizures behavior and effect

changes can happen if the tumor is near the motor cortex there can be weakness if it's near

the sensory area we can have numbness or tingling if it's near the language area there can be

 speech difficulties so if it's in the base of the brain sometimes gait difficulties can be very

different but those are the kind of things that kids with brain tumors present with well in the

modern era now we have the MRI a magnetic resonance image scan and that's a wonderful

tool because there's no radiation that we can see with great precision the field of neurosurgery

 actually began here at Johns Hopkins over a hundred years ago when there was no imaging at

 all and the diagnosis had to be made on the basis of the history and the physical exam but

now we have a beautiful test with really no risks that can show us where the tumor is what it

 looks like and we can be pretty accurate not a hundred percent but pretty accurate in

diagnosing the type of tumor and give some information about the prognosis it's not really

until surgery though that we'll know what we're dealing with [Music] there are many different

types of brain tumors and when a child has a brain tumor it's something that turns the entire

 family upside down this is a life-changing event and so you want to be at a major Medical

Center that has a multidisciplinary team at Hopkins we have a brain tumor group that meets

 weekly that consists of neurosurgeons neuroradiologists neurologists neuro-oncologist tumor

specialists radiation specialists a multidisciplinary team to decide the best way to diagnose and

 treat the tumor and in most cases tumor requires surgery and the purpose of surgery is one to

 make a diagnosis and then usually two to try to remove as much as we safely can and then

depending on the type of tumor we go further sometimes surgery alone is all that's needed and

sometimes adjuvant or further therapy is needed chemotherapy or radiation therapy and we

 decide that with a multidisciplinary team [Music] one of the more exciting areas in the

 surgery of brain tumors is the field of minimally invasive neurosurgery which is a technique

that we use that employs endoscopes or small tubes and miniaturized instruments to work

through tiny exposures in the skull dime-sized opening so that we can get deep in the brain

and diagnose and remove selected brain tumors and the scopes are the same thing that the

general surgeons use has laparoscope s-- and the abdomen to take care of the gallbladder and

the appendix and it's particularly appealing to be able to use small endoscopes in the brain

because when we're working with such a critical structure as the brain we want to minimize the

manipulation of the brain and by doing that we can maximize the recovery in some ways it's a

science fiction because it brings the surgeon to the pathology it allows us to get it's like taking

 a fantastic voyage as shrinks us down we bring the operator to the pathology and we can

work through tiny exposures and get the same result with less trauma I think it's never a bad

idea to get a second opinion particularly when you are dealing with a condition where the

 stakes are so high and in most major medical centers there are tumor teams that will go over

the case but it's never a bad idea to have another set of eyes to look at a problem that we have

 a second opinion program at Hopkins and many times will agree with the plan that's outlined

by the original institution but sometimes we see things differently and may be able to make

 other suggestions and occasionally we'll see a case which was diagnosed to be a malignant

inoperable brain tumor even without any further intervention and we'll say you know it looks a little different maybe we should take a look and occasionally we'll find a case that was

thought to be malignant and inoperable that ends up being benign that makes a lifetime of

difference for the patient and for the family doesn't happen all the time but if it happens once

 that's the value of a second opinion

 the prognosis for a child with a brain tumor is

different depending on the age of the child the type and grade of the tumor the location of

the tumor and the number of factors but the important thing I think is to recognize that a

 brain tumor in a child is a life-changing event it changes the life of the child and the entire

family and we're not just treating the tumor we're treating the patient and so it's important I

think to be cared for by a multidisciplinary team that gives the best available technology but the best available healing for the entire family. Next Types of Brain Tumors in Dogs

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pediatric brain cancer survival rate, most common pediatric brain tumors, pediatric brain tumor treatment, facts about pediatric brain tumors, could my child have a brain tumor, child brain tumor headache, child brain tumor stories, how i found out my child had a brain tumor
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