Pediatric brain tumors

Pediatric brain tumors are masses or growths of abnormal cells that occur in a child's brain or the tissue and structures that are near it. Many different types of pediatric brain tumors exist — some are noncancerous (benign) and some are cancerous (malignant).

Treatment and chance of recovery (prognosis) depend on the type of tumor, its location within the brain, whether it has spread, and your child's age and general health. Because new treatments and technologies are continually being developed, several options may be available at different points in treatment.

Treatment for brain tumors in children is typically quite different from treatment for adult brain tumors, so it's very important to enlist the expertise and experience of pediatric specialists in neurology and cancer.

Symptoms:

Signs and symptoms of a brain tumor in children vary greatly and depend on the brain tumor type, size, location and rate of growth. Some signs and symptoms may not be easy to detect because they're similar to symptoms of other conditions.

Some of the more common symptoms of a brain tumor in children include:

• Headaches, which may become more frequent and more severe
• Feeling of increased pressure in the head
• Unexplained nausea or vomiting
• Abrupt onset of vision problems, such double vision

Other possible signs and symptoms, depending on the tumor location, include:

• A fuller soft spot (fontanel) on the skull in babies
• Seizures, especially when there's no history of seizures
• Abnormal eye movement
• Slurred speech
• Trouble swallowing
• Loss of appetite; or in babies, difficulty feeding
• Difficulty with balance
• Trouble walking
• Weakness or loss of sensation in an arm or a leg
• Weakness or drooping on one side on the face
• Confusion, irritability
• Memory problems
• Personality or behavior changes
• Hearing problems