Description

Pediatric brain tumors are masses of cells that start in or near the brain in children. The tumors, called tumors, they can grow to the press in the immediate vicinity of the parts of the brain. This can cause symptoms, such as headaches and nausea.

Many types of pediatric brain tumors exist. Some grow quickly and some grow slowly. Some are cancerous and some are not cancerous. Non-cancerous brain tumors are also called benign brain tumors.

The type of tumor in the brain of a child you have helps determine the best treatment plan. Other things that your child's health care team to consider include the location of the tumor, whether the cancer has spread beyond the brain, and the age of your child and for the general health.

The treatment for brain tumors in children is often quite different to the treatment of brain tumors in adults. For this reason, seek medical attention at a medical center that has experience in the care of children with brain tumors.

Symptoms

Pediatric brain tumor symptoms can vary depending on the location of the tumor in the brain. The symptoms may also depend on the size of the tumor and how quickly it is growing.

Some of the most common signs and symptoms of pediatric brain tumors include:

  • Headaches, which may be more frequent and more severe. In children who do not speak, the parents may notice that the child is more irritable than usual.
  • Nausea and vomiting.
  • Changes in vision, such as double vision. In children who do not speak, the parent might notice a child squinting, or covers one eye to try to see something.

Other possible signs and symptoms include:

  • A more soft spots in the skull of babies.
  • The changes in the way in which the eyes move.
  • Confusion and irritability.
  • Difficulty with balance.
  • Problems of the hearing.
  • Memory problems.
  • Personality or behavior changes.
  • Seizures, especially in a child who has not had a seizure before.
  • Difficulty in speech.
  • Difficulty walking.
  • Difficulty swallowing.
  • The weakness or drooping on one side of the face.
  • Weakness or loss of sensation in an arm or a leg.

When to see a doctor

Make an appointment with your child's doctor or other health professional if your child has symptoms that worry you.

Causes

Most of the times, the cause of a pediatric brain tumor is not known.

Pediatric brain tumors start when the brain cells develop changes in their DNA. A cell's DNA contains the instructions that tell a cell what to do. In healthy cells, the DNA contains the instructions to grow and multiply at a set rate. The instructions that tell cells to die at a set time. In tumor cells, changes in DNA to give different instructions. Changes to say to the tumor cell to make many more cells quickly. Tumor cells can continue living when healthy cells would die. This makes too many cells.

The extra cells may form a mass called a tumor. A tumor can grow and press on nearby brain tissue. Sometimes, a growing tumor, which causes swelling and other changes in the surrounding tissues of the brain.

Some of the tumor cells develop other DNA changes that turn into cancer cells. The cancerous cells can invade and destroy healthy tissue. Sometimes, cancer cells can break away and spread beyond the brain. If the brain cancer spreads, it tends to go towards the fluid that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord. This fluid is called the cerebrospinal fluid.

Risk factors

Factors that may increase the risk of pediatric brain tumors include:

Underage

Brain tumors can occur at any age. In children, brain tumors tend to occur more often in children under 5.

Exposure to radiation

Children who receive radiation treatments to the head have a higher risk of brain tumors. For example, the radiation therapy for a type of brain tumor can increase the risk of developing another type of brain tumor.

Weakened immune system

If the body's germ-fighting immune system is weakened by medications or disease, there may be an increased risk of pediatric brain tumors. Children with weakened immune systems include those who take medications to control their immune system, such as after an organ transplant. Certain medical conditions, such as infection with HIV can weaken the immune system.

Genetic syndromes that run in families

Some genetic syndromes that run in the family may increase the risk of brain tumors in children. Examples include:

  • The Neurofibromatosis 1.
  • Neurofibromatosis type 2.
  • The tuberous sclerosis complex.
  • The syndrome Gorlin.
  • Turcot syndrome.
  • Cowden's syndrome.

The DNA tests your child can show whether these syndromes are present.

Prevention

There is no way to prevent pediatric brain tumors. If your child develops a brain tumor, not to do anything because of it.

Diagnosis

Pediatric brain tumor diagnosis often begins with questions about your child's symptoms and an exam. The exam can be given to your child's health care team clues about what is happening in the brain of your child. You can help the team doctor decide which tests are needed next.

Tests and procedures used to diagnose pediatric brain tumors include:

Neurological examination

A neurological examination tests from different parts of the brain to see how it is working. During the test, a healthcare provider may check your child:

  • Of the vision.
  • The hearing.
  • Balance.
  • Coordination.
  • Force.
  • Reflections.

If your child has problems in one or more areas, this is a clue to the health care professional. A neurological examination to help the health professionals to understand what part of the brain might have a problem.

Imaging tests

Imaging tests can make images of the brain show that the brain tumor, the location and the size. The most common imaging tests for brain tumors is magnetic resonance imaging, also called magnetic resonance imaging. Sometimes a special type of magnetic resonance imaging that you need to get more detailed pictures. Special types of mri include functional magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Other imaging tests include ct scan, ct scan, also called a CT, and positron emission tomography scans, also called PET.

Biopsy

A biopsy is a procedure to remove a sample of tissue for testing in a lab. For pediatric brain tumors, the sample is more often collected during surgery to remove the tumor.

If surgery is not possible, the tissue sample can be removed with a needle. The removal of a sample of brain tumor tissue with a needle is done with a procedure called stereotactic needle biopsy. During this procedure, a surgeon drills a small hole in the skull. The surgeon inserts a thin needle through the hole and into the brain tissue and removes a sample of cells.

The sample goes to a lab for analysis. In the laboratory, the tests can show if the cells are cancerous and the speed of growth of the cells. Special tests can look at the tumor cell DNA. Your healthcare team uses the results of these tests to create a treatment plan.

Lumbar Puncture

The lumbar puncture is a procedure to collect the fluid around the spinal cord. A lumbar puncture, also called a spinal tap, is performed using a needle. A health care professional inserts a needle between two bones in the lower part of the back and takes out some of the fluid that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord. This fluid is called the cerebrospinal fluid. The fluid that is going to a lab to be tested for cancer cells.

Your child may need a lumbar puncture if there is a risk that the cancer has spread. Brain cancer, in general, do not spread. When it does, it tends to go to the cerebrospinal fluid. The fluid can carry cancer cells to other parts of the brain and the spinal cord.

Treatment

The treatment for pediatric brain tumors depends on many factors. Your child's health care team considers the type, size and location of the tumor. The care team also considers the age of your child and for the general health. Treatment options may include surgery, radiation therapy, radiosurgery, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy.

Surgery

The goal of surgery for pediatric brain tumors is to remove all of the tumor cells. It is not always possible to do that. Sometimes the brain tumor is in a place of difficult access. Sometimes it is close to important parts of the brain that could be injured during the surgery. In these situations, the surgeon may remove the tumor as is safely possible.

Surgery to remove a brain tumor, pediatric carries risks, such as infection and bleeding. Other risks may depend on the part of the child's brain, where the tumor is located. For example, the surgery of a tumor close to the nerves that connect to the eyes can lead to a risk of loss of vision.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy for brain tumors uses high-energy rays to kill tumor cells. The energy can come from X-rays, protons, and other sources.

During radiation therapy, your child will lie on a table in the treatment room. A machine that moves around the child and the goals of the radiation at precise points. Radiation treatments are required to maintain very still, so that the machine targets the exact area. Young children and other people that have trouble holding still may need medicine to help you relax and stay still.

Some medical centers offer different types of sources of energy for the radiation therapy, such as:

  • The radiation of x-ray radiation from the X-ray is the most common type of radiation therapy. Also called radiation of photons. The X-ray radiation is available in most medical centers.
  • Proton radiation. Proton radiation uses the energy of the proton. This is a new form of radiation therapy. Is not available at all medical centers. The proton beams can be more selective to tumor cells. Proton therapy may be less likely that the damage to healthy tissue near the tumor in the brain. Children can benefit from this type of radiation because their brains are still in development.

Side effects of radiation therapy depend on the type and the dose of radiation you receive your child. Common side effects include fatigue, scalp irritation, temporary hair loss, and headaches. Sometimes nausea and vomiting, but anti-nausea medications may help control the side effects.

Radiosurgery

Stereotactic radiosurgery for brain tumors is an intense form of radiation treatment. It aims beams of radiation from many angles in the tumor in the brain. Each beam of light is not very powerful. But the point where the beams meet receives a large dose of radiation that kills the tumor cells.

Radiosurgery treatment is normally performed in a treatment.

The different types of energy may be used during the treatment of radiosurgery. What type is the best for your child will depend on your child's situation. The options may include:

  • Radiosurgery with a linear accelerator. Linear accelerator machines are also called LINAC machines. LINAC machines are known by their brand names, such as the CyberKnife, TrueBeam and others. A linear ACCELERATOR machine targets carefully, in the form of beams of X-rays one at a time from several different angles.
  • Radiosurgery with Gamma knife. A Gamma knife machine pursues the goal of many small beams of gamma rays in the same time.
  • Proton radiosurgery. Proton radiosurgery uses beams of protons. It is becoming more common, but it is not available in all hospitals.

Side effects of radiosurgery include feeling very tired, and changes in the skin on the scalp. The skin of the head your child may feel dry, itchy and sensitive. Some children have blisters on the skin or hair loss. Sometimes the hair loss is permanent.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy for brain tumors uses strong drugs to kill tumor cells. Chemotherapy drugs can be taken in pill form or injected into a vein. Sometimes the chemotherapy drug is placed in the brain tissue during the surgery.

Side effects of chemotherapy depend on the drugs that your child receives. In General the side effects of chemotherapy are nausea, vomiting, and temporary hair loss.

Targeted therapy

Targeted therapy for brain tumors that uses drugs that attack the chemical agents present in the tumor cells. By blocking these chemicals, specific treatments can cause tumor cells to die.

Targeted therapy drugs are available for certain types of brain tumors in children. Your child's brain tumor cells can be tested to see if the targeted therapy can help.

Clinical trials

Clinical trials are studies of new treatments. These studies provide an opportunity to test the latest treatments. The risk of side effects may not be known. Ask your child's healthcare team if your child may be able to be in a clinical trial.

Palliative care

Palliative care is a special type of health care that helps children with serious illnesses feel better. For children with brain tumors, palliative care can help relieve the pain and other symptoms. A team of health professionals provides palliative care. The team may include doctors, nurses and other specially trained professionals. The goal is to improve the quality of life of your child and your family.

Palliative care specialists work with you, your family and your health care team to help your child feel better. They provide an extra layer of support during their child's treatment. Your child can have palliative care at the same time as brain tumor treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.

The recovery after treatment

Children may need support after the treatment to help them recover. Brain tumors can develop in parts of the brain that control motor skills, speech, vision and thinking. Rehabilitation services to help regain these functions include:

  • The physical therapy to help your child recover the loss of motor skills or muscle strength.
  • Occupational therapy to help your child to return to daily activities.
  • Speech therapy if your child has difficulty speaking.
  • Tutoring if your school-age child needs help to cope with the changes in memory and thinking after brain tumor treatment.

Alternative medicine

Little research has been done on alternative treatments for pediatric brain tumors. There is No alternative medicine therapies have been proven to cure brain tumors, and some may be harmful.

Alternative medicine is a term that is commonly used to describe treatments that are not generally offered by health professionals. According to the researchers, the study of these treatments and the evidence of these alternative methods grows, physicians, and other health-care professionals are included in the treatment plans along with standard treatments. It is an approach that health professionals are sometimes called integrative medicine.

Some integrative medicine treatments may help your child cope with pediatric brain tumors of the symptoms and side effects of treatment. Your care team will work with your family to make sure that your child feels comfortable. The combination of integrative treatments with standard treatments may offer something more than comfort.

The options may include:

  • Acupuncture.
  • Creative therapies such as art therapy and music therapy.
  • Hypnosis.
  • Massage therapy.
  • Meditation.
  • Relaxation techniques such as guided imagery and deep breathing.

If your child is interested in trying any of these treatments, talk with your health care team about what might work best for your child. Ask your team to recommend the care of professionals who have experience working with children with brain tumors.

Coping and support

Here are some suggestions to help guide you to your family in your child's brain tumor treatment.

In the hospital

When your child has a medical appointment, or stays in the hospital:

  • Bring a favorite toy or book for office or clinic visits, to keep your child occupied while you wait.
  • Stay with your child during a test or treatment, if possible. The use of the words your child will understand to describe what is going to happen.
  • Include time of play in your child's schedule. Many hospitals have a games room for children undergoing treatment. Health care team members can offer activities to support your child while going through treatment. Ask to speak with a social worker or child life specialist.
  • Ask for the support of the clinic or the hospital staff members. Search for organizations of parents of children with cancer. Parents who have already been through this and can give encouragement and hope, as well as practical advice. Ask your child's health care team about local support groups.

Home

After leaving the hospital:

  • Control your child's energy level out of the hospital. If your child feels well enough, gently encourage participation in regular activities. Sometimes your child seems tired, or discouraged, particularly after chemotherapy or radiation, so make time to get enough rest, too.
  • Keep a daily record of your child's condition at home. Take note of your child's body temperature, energy level and sleep patterns. Note any of the drugs administered and side effects. Share this information with your child's healthcare team.
  • Stick to your usual diet of the child , unless your health care team suggests otherwise. Prepare favorite foods when possible. The treatment can affect the appetite of your child. Sometimes, eating can be difficult. Seek the advice of a registered dietitian to make sure that your child gets enough nutrients and calories.
  • Check with your health care team before any vaccinations due to the treatment of cancer that affects the immune system.
  • Be prepared to talk with their children about the brain tumor. Tell them about the changes you could see in his brother, such as hair loss and fatigue. Listen to their concerns.

Preparing for your appointment

See your doctor or other health professional if your child has any of the symptoms that worry you. If a brain tumor is suspected, ask for a referral to a specialist trained in pediatric brain tumors.

Consider taking a family member or friend along to the appointment to help you remember all of the information provided.

Here is some information to help you and your child to prepare for the appointment.

What you can do

Before your child's appointment, make a list of:

  • The symptoms, including those that do not seem to be related with the reason for the appointment.
  • Any type of medicines, including vitamins, herbal and over-the-counter medications your child is taking, and its dose.
  • Key personal information, including any major stresses or recent changes in your child's life.
  • Questions to ask your child's healthcare team to make the most of your time.

For a pediatric brain tumor, some basic questions to ask include:

  • What type of tumor in the brain, does my child have?
  • Where is the brain tumor located? How big is it?
  • How aggressive is the brain tumor?
  • It is the brain tumor cancerous?
  • Does my child need additional tests?
  • What are the treatment options?
  • What are the benefits and risks of each treatment?
  • Can any of the treatments cure my son's brain tumor?
  • There is a treatment that you feel is better?
  • Should my child see other specialists? What will that cost, and will my insurance cover it?
  • Are there brochures or other printed material I can have? What sites do you recommend?

Do not hesitate to ask other questions that occur to you.

What to expect from your doctor

Be prepared to answer some questions about your child's medical history and symptoms. These may include:

  • When he made his first child begin to experience the symptoms?
  • The symptoms are continuous or occasional?
  • How severe are the symptoms?
  • What, if anything, seems to improve the symptoms of your child?
  • What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms?
Symptoms and treatment of Pediatric brain tumors